Police bodycam footage has captured the moment a heartbroken mother rushed to the side of her four-month-old son, who died after being found covered in vomit at a daycare centre.
Charlie Cronmiller was found unconscious by authorities on February 3, 2021, at Little Lovey Daycare in Dunwoody, Georgia.
Video obtained by authorities shows his mother Stephanie Cronmiller running to an ambulance to be with him before he was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Daycare owner Amanda Hickey, 48, pleaded guilty Sept. 22 to seven counts of first-degree child abuse, seven counts of reckless endangerment, one count of second-degree child abuse and three counts of assault.
A judge sentenced her on October 13 to 30 years in prison for the murder of baby Charlie and the abuse of six other children in her care.
Police bodycam footage captured the moment mother Stephanie Cronmiller rushed to the side of her four-month-old son who died after being found covered in vomit at a daycare center
Charlie Cronmiller was found unconscious by authorities on February 3, 2021, at Little Lovey Daycare in Dunwoody, Georgia.
Daycare owner Amanda Hickey, 48, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on October 13 for murdering baby Charlie and abusing six other children in her care
The bodycam footage shows police responding to the incident while officers are present outside the building.
Charlie was resuscitated in an ambulance as paramedics did their best to save his life.
His mother Stephanie rushed to the scene and got out of a black car as she then sprinted to the ambulance.
“Come with them in the ambulance,” an officer tells her. ‘Ma’am, go with the ambulance, they are getting ready to go. This is Mom.”
Hickey was later escorted from the property and handcuffed as she was arrested for Charlie’s murder.
She operated the children’s center from the basement of her home in Dunwoody.
Hickey said she placed the baby on his back for a nap and told authorities he rolled onto his stomach.
His mother Stephanie rushed to the scene and got out of a black car as she then sprinted to the ambulance
Hickey was later escorted from the property and handcuffed as she was arrested for Charlie’s murder
Charlie was left unattended for more than two hours before he was found unconscious and covered in vomit
But the footage obtained showed that she had placed the baby on his stomach, which goes against recommended medical guidelines for safe sleeping positions for babies.
Charlie was left unattended for more than two hours before he was found unconscious and covered in vomit.
Hickey pleaded guilty to the charges. She has entered an Alford plea, which allows someone to maintain her innocence while recognizing that it is in her best interest to plead guilty to charges of second-degree murder and second-degree child abuse in connection with Cronmiller’s death.
“There is no remorse,” the baby’s mother, Stephanie, told the court. ‘The only thing she regrets is that she got caught.
“I’m focusing on forgiving myself for choosing her. How could I not think this was my fault?
‘I wish I could erase that day. I wish I had Charlie in my arms.’
Hickey said she placed the baby on his back for a nap and told authorities he rolled onto his stomach
But footage from the daycare showed she had placed the baby on his stomach, which goes against recommended medical guidelines for safe sleeping positions for babies.
Stephanie and Eric Cronmiller founded Charlie’s Army in memory of their son
Charlie’s mother told the court: ‘I wish I could erase that day. “I wish I had Charlie in my arms.”
Another video showed Hickey swinging other babies at their feet, slamming them to the ground, pulling their hair, pushing and tripping toddlers and placing others in unsafe positions to sleep, prosecutors said.
The victims ranged in age from 6 to 18 months.
“I know there is nothing I can say in words to take away their pain other than taking responsibility and expressing extreme sadness for what I did,” Hickey told DeKalb County Superior Court Chief Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson, according to The Atlanta Journal. -Constitution. “This is my legacy now.”
Hickey was licensed to care for six children, but prosecutors say 10 were in her home the day Charlie died.