Death of 7-month-old baby: Daycare owner remanded following manslaughter charge

Denise Benn, the owner of the Little Learners Day Care located at Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was on Thursday charged with the lesser count of manslaughter over the death of a seven-month-old girl who had been left in the institution’s care.

Benn was arraigned before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts. She was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which alleged that, on March 21, she unlawfully killed seven-month-old Oriyah Gravesande. She was refused bail, and remanded until May 10.
Earlier this week, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had recommended that the owner of the daycare be charged with manslaughter. The Police had, the week prior, forwarded a file to the DPP’s office, but that file was returned with instructions for further investigations to be done.
It was reported that on the day in question – March 21 – the child died at the Ogle, facility, which authorities have confirmed was uncertified for years, and ought not to have been in operation.
An autopsy has since revealed that the infant died from haemorrhage and compression to the neck. The child’s parents had revealed to the media that, on the day in question, they received a call from the daycare, informing them that their daughter was unresponsive.
“They called me and tell me that our baby was unresponsive when they took her to the health centre, and by the time they reached the Georgetown Hospital, she was pronounced dead…she left home good, smiling and everything,” the mother, Shavanie Gravesande, had related.
The mother claimed she was contacted two hours after the incident, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, she was told that her baby had died. It was reported that the child had fallen off a bed and become trapped in some sheets; it is suspected that this had led to her demise.
A joint investigation into the matter was conducted by the Police, the Child Care and Protection Agency, and the Human Services and Social Security Ministry. Pending the probe, Benn was taken into custody for questioning, but was subsequently released on station bail and was ordered to report to the Sparendaam Police Station daily.