Why This Baby's Death on the First Day of Day Care Is Especially Tragic

It was Adrienne Kromer's first day back to work following three and a half months of maternity leave, and like any working mom with a newborn, she was nervous about her baby's first day at day care.

In fact, despite her infant daughter, McKenna, showing no signs of illness or distress that morning, she called the day care center in Allentown, PA, three times to check on her.

The day care's response wasn't stellar, but it wasn't necessarily cause for concern, either. According to the family's GoFundMe page, McKenna was having trouble taking a bottle — a common issue with breastfed babies. But when she got word that her baby had fallen asleep quickly, she trusted her gut and decided to leave work early to get her.

"[It was] very unlike her. She always takes a while to fall asleep," the baby's father, Bryan Felmly, wrote. "Lots of rocking, swaying, cuddling."

Just minutes after Adrienne left, the day care center called, frantic. McKenna wasn't breathing. The workers had found her unresponsive in her crib. By the time both parents arrived, their baby had already been transported to a nearby hospital. When they arrived, they weren't allowed to see their only daughter.

"They put us in a room and said the doctor would be out to talk to us," Bryan wrote. "The doctor came in and said, 'It's not looking good, Momma . . . ' Adrienne screamed. I lost it. About 10 minutes later, they tell us they couldn't save her."

An autopsy showed no signs of trauma, and police say the death does not appear suspicious at this time, but a cause of death won't be determined until toxicology and viral tests are completed and other aspects of the case, including the crib, are investigated.

According to the police chief, answers might not come for another three months.

"I'm not sure how we are supposed to go on," he wrote. "There's no reason why a 3.5-month-old healthy baby girl should have lost her life yesterday. Adrienne's first day back to work. McKenna's first day at day care. She feels like she's failed as a mom and I can't make that go away for her. Adrienne didn't want to go back to work for this very reason. And now we have to pay the ultimate price."