VIRGINIA BEACH — A 49-year-old woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to caring for 17 children in an unlicensed day care she ran in her Virginia Beach home.
While in her care, a 4-month-old girl died.
Marlene Rice pleaded guilty to 11 counts of operating an unlicensed day care in her home, located in the 800 block of Levy Loop. She could spend up to 11 years in prison.
It’s illegal for a person to care for four children under the age of two in a family home day care that is unlicensed. Home day cares that care for five to 12 kids, excluding the person’s own kids or any minors who live in the house, must be licensed, according to information provided by the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Rice was aware of the state laws that regulate day cares. In 2005 authorities received a complaint about the day care and discovered six toddlers and an infant in the home, according to the VBCA.
Rice was initially charged with child abuse and neglect in connection to the 4-month-old’s death; however, an autopsy of the baby showed that she died of “sudden unexplained infant death,” and the charge was dismissed.
Rice was charged after the 4-month-old baby was found in her home on Aug. 15, 2016. First responders arrived at the home at 11:51 a.m., about 20 minutes after Rice discovered the dead infant in a baby playard, according to the VBCA.
Rice said she’d laid the baby down for a nap around 10 a.m. She checked on the infant around 11:30 a.m. and found her cold to the touch. Rice performed CPR on the baby until firefighters arrived, according to the VBCA.
The baby was one of 17 children found in the house. Some were outside playing unsupervised in a pool, while others were in a playroom or upstairs.
Rice told police she only has 12 children in the house, including her granddaughter, but couldn’t provide the names of all of the kids or the contact information for some of their parents. A count of the children showed there were actually 17 in the day care, according to the VBCA.
Police officers stayed at the home to care for the kids until their parents were contacted and came to pick them up. Investigation showed that there were 11 instances of Rice running an unlicensed day care from Aug. 1 to Aug. 15, although the woman said she’d been caring for children in her home for more than 20 years.
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