State Probes Provider After Baby Death at Site

By Kenneth C. Crowe II, Albany Times Union, N.Y.

Sep. 22–BRUNSWICK — State Office of Children and Family Services inspectors spent Friday scrutinizing the files of a day care provider who was caring for a 10-week-old boy when the infant was found dead at her home.

Meanwhile, the Times Union has learned the identity of the child — Samuel Stephen Purificato of Brunswick. A man answering the phone at the Purificato residence Friday had nothing to say.

Another relative also reached by phone later in the evening would only say that the family was "overcome by grief."

No autopsy results were released for the child Friday.

The infant was found unresponsive Thursday in a cradle on his first day in the Coolidge Avenue home of Gretchen Newman, 47, at about 12:45 p.m., Thursday, county officials and deputies said.

The deputy responding to the emergency call attempted to resuscitate the boy. The baby was taken to Samaritan Hospital in neighboring Troy and was pronounced dead, deputies said.

As part of their probe, state investigators on Friday were working to determine what type of facility Newman was operating and the status of the children for whom she was caring, said Sandra Brown, a spokeswoman for the OCFS.

A cease-and-desist order would be sent to Newman if she was found to be operating illegally, Brown said, noting investigators were also contacting the families of the other children whom Newman cared for at her home.

OCFS had never heard of Newman’s operation until Thursday, Brown said. There are 1,744 licensed child care facilities in the Albany Region, which includes 17 counties. There are 129 legal day care facilities in Rensselaer County.

Newman was not found among the 129 licensed day care centers in Rensselaer County, according to the state agency.

"Ms. Newman has not been known at OCFS. She is not known as a legally exempt provider," Brown said.

A man who arrived at the Newman home Friday morning in a pickup truck registered to Newman’s husband, Mark, declined to answer questions.

"I’d rather not speak. Get off my property," he said before entering the two-story, white colonial in a neighborhood just off Hoosick Road where the lawns are neatly trimmed. The day care facility remained closed Friday.

Under state law regulating day care facilities, a state license is not needed if the provider is taking care of two children; taking care of family members; or caring for children for less than three hours daily.

In the past 12 months, OCFS received 1,469 complaints statewide of illegal child care facilities. Investigations determined that 405 were illegal. In the Albany area, there were 186 complaints received and 47 illegal operations were uncovered.

Newman’s day care operation has not appeared in records at any level of government. The Rensselaer County Department of Social Services and the town of Brunswick Building Department said they had no complaints or calls regarding the Newman residence or day care operation on Coolidge Avenue.

An autopsy of the infant was performed Friday morning at Albany Medical Center Hospital by Dr. Michael Skirica, a forensic medical pathologist, the sheriff’s department said. The autopsy findings were not available.

"The investigation is continuing and we will provide update pending further information," the sheriff’s department statement said.

District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis’ office on Friday said little about the investigation and referred all questions to the sheriff’s department.

The OCFS Web site at http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/ main/becs allows people to look up records to determine if a day care provider is licensed, Brown said. Information can be found about violations, licensing or if the provider has been suspended.

Anyone who is concerned about a possible illegal day care provider, Brown said, can make a report by calling the state hotline at (800) 732-5207.

Kenneth C. Crowe II can be reached at 454-5084 or by e-mail at kcrowe@timesunion.com.

—–

To see more of the Albany Times Union, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesunion.com.

Copyright (c) 2007, Albany Times Union, N.Y.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.