Mom Finds Child Locked in Closet at Home Daycare, 3 Arrested

A 22-month-year-old Alabama boy was found confined inside a closet at a day care center, leading to the arrests of three people.

Sydney Zimmerman said she arrived early at the day care, which was being operated out of someone’s home. She saw that her son, Slade, was strapped inside a car seat inside a dark closet, WTVY reported.

“She discovered it from going to the facility and picking up the kid unexpectedly,” said Capt. Van Jackson, a spokesman for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Oanow.com reported.

Zimmerman “arrived at the residence an hour early to pick up her son,” the police incident report stated. And then, the caretakers “greeted (Zimmerman) but seemed to question why (she) was at the residence so early.”

Zimmerman was suspicious and then questioned the women, asking them where her baby was located. Then, one of them led her to a room before she saw the child strapped to the car seat.

Three people were arrested: 45-year-old Cynthia Duman, 66-year-old Mary Parette, and 26-year-old Jennifer Parette, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WTVM. They were charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child. They were released on bond.

Of the incident, Zimmerman said, “It was pure anger and disgust and hurt. I mean, just looking at him when he’s crying, red-faced and crying, and he’s in a car seat in a closet, and the first thing he says when he sees me is, ‘Mama.’ It’s just… I mean, words can’t hardly describe it.”

According to the incident report, the women also allegedly “stated that sometimes, he was not able to go to sleep. Therefore, they place him in the closet.”

Police said the offense is a Class A misdemeanor.