Employees at a New Hampshire daycare allegedly spiked children’s lunches with melatonin, Manchester police say.
The establishment’s owner, Sally Dreckmann, 52, and her employees – Traci Innie, 51, Kaitlin Filardo, 23, and Jessica Foster, 23 – have been charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child after turning to the authorities had come to expect.
Police determined that the children’s food was sprinkled with melatonin without their parents’ knowledge or consent, possibly to make them drowsy and easier to live with.
Too much melatonin can lead to vomiting, diarrhea and even seizures, especially in young children with low tolerance.
“This is an over-the-counter drug that can be given as a sleep aid, but the fact that it is being given to children without the knowledge or consent of parents is deeply concerning,” said Heather Hamel, a spokesperson for Manchester United University. Police station.
Sally Dreckmann, 52, owned the home daycare (photo left). Traci Innie, 51, worked with her (pictured right)
Kaitlin Filardo, 23, (left) and Jessica Foster, 23, (right) were also daycare workers. The four people have been charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child
Police’s investigation began in November 2023 after they received a report of unsafe practices at the childcare facility located at 316 Amory Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.
‘It sounded like it was a powdery substance, maybe broken pills. I don’t know exactly, but it was described as being sprinkled on the food the children were given at lunch,” Ms Hamel said.
No child who took the melatonin at daycare became ill, police said.
A woman at the Amory Street home told the story 7News through a closed door that she “had no comment.”
She deferred questions to her attorney, but when 7News contacted the attorney, she said the woman was not her client.
“If it was my child, I would be extremely upset,” said Gary Boucher, who lives near the daycare Boston 25 News.
“It’s clear they’re doing that to knock the kids out, but that’s absolutely not allowed.”
Police’s investigation began in November 2023 after they received a report of unsafe practices at the childcare facility located at 316 Amory Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Melatonin in children can cause agitation, headaches, drowsiness and increased bedwetting
It comes as a report from the CDC published in March warned about children swallowing melatonin sleep gummies.
Between 2019 and 2022, about 11,000 children were seen in emergency rooms after taking melatonin unsupervised, the agency found, with gummies involved in nearly 5,000 of the cases.
Melatonin in children can cause agitation, headaches, drowsiness and increased bedwetting.
Children can also react poorly to the medications or have an allergic reactionaccording to the National Institutes of Health.
There may be effects on hormonal development. The agency said: ‘Because melatonin is a hormone, it is possible that melatonin supplements could affect… puberty, the menstrual cycle and the overproduction of the hormone prolactin.’
Melatonin is a hormone crucial to the body’s sleep-wake cycle, with levels rising in the evening as the sun sets, signaling it’s time for bed, and dropping to near zero during the day.