State shuts down Mississippi daycare after 8-week-old baby dies

Published 3:07 pm Thursday, November 19, 2020

The Mississippi State Department of Health said Thursday that it has suspended the license of a Lafayette County childcare facility after an 8-week-old baby died.

Mother Goose of Oxford, Inc. “has been determined to constitute a substantial hazard to the health and safety of infants entrusted to and cared for by said facility,” according to an order signed by State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs.

The Associated Press left a phone message with the child care center on Thursday, seeking comment.

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The order means the facility must immediately stop providing care for infants, according to a Health Department statement. The department did not say when the death occurred.

Oxford police are investigating.

The Health Department expects to receive a full report by Monday, officials said.

Mother Goose of Oxford was licensed in 1999 and has received no monetary penalties during the course of its license, according to the Health Department. The facility passed its last inspection in October pending the receipt of documents.