Three Tennessee daycare workers are facing serious criminal charges following the tragic death of Winter Jones, a 6-year-old girl with autism who was left inside a transport van for nearly six hours.
The van driver, Tametria Norry, reportedly told investigators that she skipped a mandatory post-route safety check because “she was hot,” leaving the non-verbal child trapped inside the sweltering vehicle.
According to People, a grand jury indicted Norry, daycare assistant Amilya Hardin, and assistant director Sabrina Powe on charges of aggravated child neglect and criminally negligent homicide.
All three women have pleaded not guilty
The three women, who worked at Kid University daycare, were also charged with destruction of and tampering with governmental records. All three have pleaded not guilty.
The incident happened on Aug. 13, 2026, when Winter was transported to the daycare but was never unloaded with the other children. She remained inside the vehicle as temperatures climbed, with staff failing to discover her for nearly six hours.
Emergency responders eventually found the 6-year-old and rushed her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
A medical examination later revealed just how extreme the conditions had become. Winter’s father, Bryan Jones, said his daughter died with an internal body temperature of 109 degrees.
Following the tragedy, the Tennessee Department of Human Services launched a fatality inspection at Kid University. The investigation uncovered what state inspectors described as widespread failures to follow required transportation safety procedures.
Staff were required to inspect the vehicle after unloading the children, but inspectors found that those checks had not been properly completed. The transportation log was also not accurately filled out, while mandatory end-of-route walkthroughs, which are meant to ensure no child is left behind, were not carried out.
It was during the state investigation that Norry allegedly admitted she did not walk through the vehicle because she was uncomfortable with the heat. The investigation report alleged Norry “said she did not walk the bus to check if any children were left because she was hot.”
The loss has left Winter’s family devastated, with her father speaking publicly about the “absolute nightmare” they are now living through. He also spoke about the milestones his daughter will never get to experience.
Bryan said Winter had been making progress despite her autism diagnosis and that he will never get the chance to walk her down the aisle or experience the joy of becoming a grandfather.
The daycare is now under scrutiny from state regulators
The case has also renewed concerns about children being left inside hot vehicles and the need for daycare facilities to follow basic transportation safety procedures. Children can heat up much faster than adults, meaning a parked vehicle can become dangerously hot in a short period of time.
The criminal case against Norry, Hardin, and Powe is expected to focus in part on the transportation records. Prosecutors allege the records were destroyed or tampered with, potentially concealing what happened before and after Winter’s death.
As the case moves forward, Kid University remains under scrutiny from state regulators.
