NYPD: SoHo daycare where 3-month-old died in operation for 14 years without license

LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- The investigating continues Wednesday into the death of 3-month-old boy at a daycare in Lower Manhattan, with authorities saying the facility had been in operation for more than a decade without a license.

Police say an employee fed Karl Towndrow bottled breast milk provided by his mother and put him down for a nap, but then the boy's lips turned blue. Police say owner Maryellen Strautmanis called 911 and attempted CPR but seemed to be improperly trained, needing coaching from the dispatcher.

He was rushed in critical condition to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The cause and manner of death are pending further studies following an examination.

When police responded to the scene, there were about a dozen other children inside the daycare.

"It's a little bit strange that they have been operating for some time," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at a news conference Tuesday. "There were about 15 children there, anywhere from 3 years to 3 months. There were four employees, including the owner, who were tending for these children."

Boyce said that police tried to question Strautmanis about her lack of a license, but she asked to speak to a lawyer and then declined to answer any other questions.

"It's the first day the child was there, a little unusual," Boyce said. "The mother worked nearby, and she had recommendations of the locations from people who worked in the community. So she dropped off the child. It's the first day the baby was there."

Strautmanis was held for about an hour at the 1st Precinct before she was released, pending further investigation.

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services says the daycare has never been licensed during its 14 years of operation, however, there is also no complaint history on the business.

A cease and desist order was issued, punishable by a daily $500 fine if violated.

ACS issued a statement reading, "We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of this little boy. ACS and the Health Department are coordinating and are currently investigating the circumstances that led to this horrible tragedy."

The city's Department of Investigation will look into whether a city inspector properly checked a November complaint about an illegal daycare operating in SoHo, part of a broader probe into the Health Department's processes and procedures involving illegal daycares.

The city health department apparently received an allegation in November of an illegal child care operating in the Greene Street building. An inspector visited the site, but no one answered the door at the non-descript second-floor landing. The inspector noted no sign of child care activity at the building's entrance, and a person at a first-floor business denied seeing any child care activity. The inspector deemed the complaint unsubstantiated.

Investigators will look into whether basic due diligence and monitoring of unlicensed daycare centers is occurring.

They will also work with law enforcement partners to determine if criminal charges can and will be filed. DOI is conducting a review to determine if there is a breakdown in government functions and what remedial reforms are necessary.