3-Year-Old Dies After Being Found Unresponsive in Icy Water
An Easily Preventable Accident at a Vermont Day Care Cost a 3-Year-Old Boy His Life
Parker Berry, a 3-year-old from Waterbury, VT, was pronounced dead at the hospital Friday night after being found unresponsive in an icy brook just outside the home day care he attended. The boy was playing outside with the other children at Elephant in the Field day care when he disappeared — but the fact that he was missing went unnoticed until later that day when his family came to pick him up.
Elephant in the Field is described as "holistic child care with a focus on outdoor play," but Parker's family said that no child should have been able to get near the brook. The amount of time Parker was missing still remains a mystery. Marlena Tucker-Fishman, who runs Elephant in the Field, voluntarily closed her doors on Friday, and there is an ongoing investigation into the accident led by Vermont State Police, child protection, and child care licensing.
