The owner and three workers at a New Hampshire daycare are facing charges after they sprinkled melatonin in the food of children they were responsible for.
The incident began in November 2023 when police in Manchester, New Hampshire, received a report alleging “unsafe practices going on in an in-home daycare at 316 Amory Street,”
Through the investigation, police determined that the children’s food was being sprinkled with melatonin without their parent’s knowledge or consent,” authorities said regarding the case.
Sally Dreckmann, 52, the day care owner; and her employees Traci Innie, 51; Kaitlin Filardo, 23; and Jessica Foster, 23, all of Manchester, were charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child, the Manchester Police Department said.
Authorities said that children’s food that was provided by the in-house daycare was being sprinkled with melatonin without their parent’s knowledge or consent.
“This is an over-the-counter drug that can be given as a sleep aid, but for it to be given to children without the knowledge or consent of the parents, it’s very concerning,” Heather Hamel, a spokesperson for the Manchester Police Department, told WDHD.
It is currently unclear how long the day care workers were dosing the children’s food with the drug or how much they were giving them. Police also did not disclose how the practice was initially discovered.
The arrests came following a lengthy investigation after authorities were alerted of “unsafe practices” in Nov. 2023 at the daycare.
The suspects turned themselves into police and all four of them were charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The investigation into the case is currently ongoing.
Police said none of the children required medical attention.
Peoplesmind