Norfolk daycare loses 18-month-old boy

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - A Norfolk daycare lost an 18-month-old boy last week and no one noticed for hours.

Jack went missing from Larchmont Baptist Infant Care Center on September 29. He was found down the street by a neighbor.

Sara Wastella immediately recognized the little boy. Her child and Jack were in the same daycare class.

"He had kind of some caked on dirt on his face, his hands were dirty, he had on a little short onesie outfit and his legs were dirty," Wastella said.

Sarah described handing Jack back to his mom as bone-chilling. Jack's mother told her no one even realized he was gone until she arrived to pick him up.

10 On Your Side spoke to Daun Cash, the daycare worker fired from her job at the center the night of the incident. She originally told investigators she gave Jack to a man she thought was his father, but told 10 On Your Side Tuesday, Jack wasn't even in her care.

Cash said he was outside with some other employees and she didn't know he was missing.

Director Kim Carmi backed out of an interview 10 On Your Side scheduled.

Carmi said police told her not to notify parents about the incident until a Child Protective Services investigation was complete. But police said that is not true.

Carmi finally drafted a letter to parents Tuesday, five days after Jack went missing. The letter refers to an incident, but doesn't explain what the incident was. The letter does outline changes the Infant Care Center plans on making, including a wooden fence to replace a temporary one.

Wastella pulled her son from the daycare.

"Just the thought of that happening to anyone's child, much less your own, is horrifying," Wastella added.

No charges have been filed.

According to the Virginia Department of Social Services , child daycare centers operated by religious institutions don't have to be licensed if the facility is exempt from federal taxes for religious purposes.

Online: Virginia Department of Social Services