Three individuals have been arrested in connection with the death of a six-year-old girl who was found unresponsive inside a hot school bus outside a Memphis-area daycare. Winter Jones died on August 13 after she was left in the vehicle for hours.
Tametria Norry, 49, the bus driver; Sabrina Powe, 43, the assistant director of Kid University; and Amilya Hardin, an assistant at the daycare, were arrested Friday. Prosecutors announced they have been indicted on charges including aggravated child neglect, criminally negligent homicide, and destruction of and tampering with governmental records.
Jones, who was non-verbal and autistic, was discovered inside the bus around 3:20 p.m. at Kid University in Cordova, a neighborhood of Memphis. She was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where she later died. Her father, Bryan Jones, told WREG that his daughter's internal body temperature reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit. On the day of her death, the outside temperature was 95 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index of 103 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service.
Prosecutors stated that Jones had ridden the bus from the daycare to Macon-Hall Elementary but was never removed from the bus upon its return to the daycare facility. "The driver and the reviewers admitted [they] did not conduct a walk-through to confirm all children were off the bus," an inspector documented, according to reports. The daycare facility permanently closed and surrendered its license the day after the incident. An inspection revealed five violations related to state regulations for transportation. Specifically, the daycare did not adhere to required vehicle inspection procedures after children exited the bus, and a transportation log was not accurately maintained.
Walter Bailey and Taurus Bailey, attorneys representing the Jones family, announced that the investigation is complete and grand jury proceedings are underway. The family intends to pursue a civil case. Bryan Jones described his daughter's death as "senseless" and the result of "absolute negligence."
"Winter was progressing. All of that was taken away by absolute negligence, by people who were too busy doing nothing to where they couldn’t make sure Winter was taken care of properly," Bryan Jones said at a press conference.
Winter Jones' mother, Nakia Cloman, also expressed her grief and called for change. "I don't want another child to become a headline before people decide that something needs to change," she stated. Taurus Bailey added, "Winter was six years old. She was autistic, and she was unable to communicate when she needed help. She was placed on the bus by these people, who promised to keep her safe, and that promise was broken."
Norry and Powe were each assigned a bond of $100,000. Bond and mugshot information for Hardin have not yet been released.