Four home childcare staff in Manchester, New Hampshire, are accused of lacing children’s meals with sleep.
The landlord and three staff were reportedly putting the material in children’s meals while they were at the moment treatment, located on Amory Street, according to law enforcement, WMUR reported on Thursday.
New Hampshire day care workers sprinkled melatonin in children’s food, police say https ://t.co/Wnde6yVB0j pic. twitter.com/YrGIJgS5MD
— New York Post ( @nypost ) May 17, 2024
The suspects are the day care’s manager — 52- year- old Sally Dreckmann— and staffers — 51- year- old Traci Innie, 23- year- old Kaitlin Filardo, and 23- year- old Jessica Foster.
Ten people are accused of putting a child’s welfare at risk.
According to WebMD, melatonin is a hormone that the body makes. At nighttime, it tells a person’s body it is time for sleep. The melatonin found in supplements is typically made in laboratories:
Low levels of melatonin are present in some people who struggle to fall asleep. According to some, adding melatonin from supplements might help them sleep. Melatonin is most frequently used to treat insomnia and improve sleep, especially when experiencing jet lag.
The day care in question was reportedly unlicensed. However, some circumstances allow that, per the state’s law. According to WMUR, unlicensed daycares in New Hampshire may only care for three or fewer children at once.
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In the final months of 2023, police received a tip from a person who had been inside the daycare center about the melatonin being given to the children without their parents ‘ knowledge or consent, and more tips came in during their investigation.
On Thursday, the suspects turned themselves in to law enforcement. After that, they were let go and set for a June court appearance.
” Oh, yeah, if it was my child, I’d be extremely upset”, one neighbor told CBS Boston:
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This is something that is an over-the-counter drug that is typically used as a sleep aid, according to Heather Hamel, a spokesperson for the Manchester Police Department. So, obviously, that’s concerning”.
” They are not sure how these kids might react,” they said. They do n’t know if they have an allergic reaction or even worse”, she added.
It is important to note that none of the children involved in this case needed medical attention as a result.
