Health Department creates unit created to investigate illegal daycares after baby death

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The city is cracking down on illegal daycares in New York City in the wake of the death of a baby at a SoHo daycare that never had a license in its 14 years of operation.

Eyewitness News has been trying for three days to get the numbers of illegal daycares shutdown by the City Department of Health. On Monday, 3-month-old baby Karl Towndrow died at an illegally operated SoHo daycare.

Friday evening, the Health Department released some numbers to Eyewitness News exclusively.

Since 2013, the city has closed 123 daycare centers operating in the shadows of city inspectors.

57 illegal operations were shutdown in 2013, 49 closed in 2014, and so far this year, 17 illegal daycares have been closed.

The Health Department told Eyewitness News that in the wake of baby Towndrow, the agency has decided to form a new unit dedicated solely to investigating allegations of child safety threats, including finding and closing down any illegally operating daycares like SoHo Child Care on Green Street.

The Health Department spokesman says that this new investigative unit will be staffed by five inspectors.

The spokesman says parents should still call the city's 311 help line if they suspect a daycare is operating illegally.

Meanwhile, the medical examiner is still working on determining an exact cause for the baby's death.