Lincolnshire day care center where child died closed
Authorities shut down the Lincolnshire day care center where a toddler was killed earlier this month, in an apparent widening of the criminal probe.
The state Department of Children and Family Services ordered the closing of Minee Subee in the Park, 400 Marriott Drive, just after 1 p.m. Friday. Officers from Lake County Major Crimes Task Force and Lincolnshire police assisted DCFS officials and seized records, documents and computers covered under a court-ordered search warrant.
Officials indicated the action was part of the investigation into the Jan. 14 death of 16-month-old Benjamin Kingan of Deerfield.
"We had some inconsistent statements and some missing reports on their part," Lincolnshire Police Chief Randall Melvin said. "In order to be prudent and in the best interests of the children, we felt it best to close them down until we can get to the bottom of this."
Melvin confirmed officers confiscated documents and computers related to the center's operation.
Benjamin, who attended the center with his twin sister, died from injuries police say he suffered when teacher's aide Melissa M. Calusinski, 22, of Carpentersville, hurled him to the floor.
Calusinski is charged with first-degree murder and held on $5 million bond. She is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 17. Police said Benjamin suffered a skull fracture when Calusinski became angry with other children in the room they were in and threw him down.
DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe said DCFS personnel were at the center Friday to meet with parents and advise them of alternate day care facilities.
Before Jan. 14, he said, the agency had not done any child care investigations of the Lincolnshire facility or Calusinski.
"Today, we ordered the closure of the Minee Subee in the Park facility in Lincolnshire pending the outcome of criminal and child protection investigations," Marlowe said. "We are coordinating our efforts with law enforcement and are declining further comment in deference to the ongoing criminal investigation."
Under DCFS rules, the center will be closed for a minimum of 10 days after which its owners can appeal the order through DCFS, Melvin said. There were 50 to 60 children present when police arrived, and special caution was taken to avoid upsetting them, he added.
"It was very low-key as far as these things go, and none of the children were crying or appeared concerned in any way," he said. "Some of the parents were shaken up a bit, but we were meeting with all of them and doing our best to reassure them and answer what questions we could."
Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said the actions were taken in response to a series of violations of DCFS regulations he declined to detail.
"The investigation determined that there were serious problems at the Lincolnshire Minee Subee day care center," Waller said. "Some of these violations may have a direct connection to our ongoing investigations."
Waller indicated problems at the center may predate Benjamin's death, but declined to offer specifics.
Neal Takiff, a Northbrook attorney representing the corporation that runs the center, said he was trying to get an explanation from law enforcement officials.
"We hope to have something to say about this later," Takiff said. "Right now, we are attempting to gather information ourselves."
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