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Mother and Daughter Arrested After Infant Dies at Unlicensed Monterey Daycare

Leanne Maxwell — Sun, 25 May 2025 19:22:18 GMT

Following the death of a 3-month-old infant, a Monterey County mother and daughter have been arrested for allegedly running an unlicensed daycare out of their residence.

As KPIX reports, on Saturday at around 10:30 a.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call reporting that a baby was unconscious and not breathing at a residence on the 100 block of Hillcrest Road in Watsonville. Emergency responders attempted life-saving measures before transporting the child to a nearby hospital, where the infant was pronounced dead.

According to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, the home was functioning as an unlicensed daycare facility. Deputies found that up to 30 children of various ages were being cared for at a time, as reported by SFGate. Investigators say there was sufficient evidence to arrest the two operators—62-year-old Maria Cleotilde Marquez and her daughter, 35-year-old Johanna Marquez—on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. According to KSBW in Monterey, authorities believe the two contributed to the child’s death, although the exact cause and circumstances remain under investigation.

Both women were taken into custody on Saturday and booked into the Monterey County Jail. They face multiple charges including involuntary manslaughter, felony child abuse and endangerment, and operating a child care facility without a license. Bail for each has been set at $50,000.

The case has sparked concern over unregulated child care operations. The sheriff’s office is continuing its investigation and urges anyone with relevant information to contact Detective Josue Ramirez at 831-253-6068.

Image: McGhiever/Wikimedia

No Charges Brought Against Father of Infant Who Died in Car

Leanne Maxwell — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:18:27 GMT

The father who left his infant in the car at the El Cerrito Bart station last week will not be charged with a crime. Contra Costa Deputy District Attorney Harold Jewett said Monday, "It was readily apparent from the beginning: It was a tragic accident, and the only real issue was that the father made a terrible mistake -- one he will undoubtedly carry with him for the rest of his life. There was no benefit we can see to issuing a prosecution."

An article in the Chronicle on Sunday mentions Janette Fennell, a former San Francisco resident who tracks child car deaths for her Kansas nonprofit group, Kids and Cars. Fennell says such infant deaths started occurring in the early '90s, when laws were passed requiring that infants be placed in the backseats of cars, facing the rear, as a way to prevent airbag injuries. Fennell explains that "exhaustion, work stress, routine change, or a different commute" are all factors in such cases.

An eye-opening article in the Washington Post in March also highlighted Fennel and how for years she has been lobbying for a law requiring back-seat sensors in new cars that would sound an alarm if a child's weight remained in the seat after the ignition is turned off. The law almost became part of The 2008 Cameron Gulbransen Kids' Transportation Safety Act, but sponsors withdrew it, fearing they couldn't get it past a powerful auto manufacturers' lobby.

Infant Dies After Parent Leaves Him In Car All Day

Brock Keeling — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:57:10 GMT

A four-month-old baby boy, Everett Carey, who was found unresponsive after being left alone for hours in his father's vehicle at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station for hours, died at the Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo. While reports on exactly what happened are sketchy, it seems Everett's father, who normally dropped Everett off at a babysitter in the morning before driving to the station, forgot. Or something. And left him inside the car. Later than afternoon, the mother went to the station to look for the baby, finding his limp body in the car. According to reports, "an autopsy is scheduled for today by the Contra Costa County coroner, and findings such as the cause of death and the results of toxicology tests will be taken into account."