Apex home day care closed after child's death

Apex police are investigating a home day care after a child being cared for there died, said police spokeswoman Capt. Ann Stephens.

Posted 8:00 p.m. Nov 4, 2009 — Updated 11:08 p.m. Nov 4, 2009

APEX, N.C. — Apex police are investigating a home day care after a child being cared for there died, said police spokeswoman Capt. Ann Stephens.

Authorities were called to Judy's Home Care, at 1300 Laura Duncan Road, on Oct. 26 on a report that a 3-month-old girl had stopped breathing. The child, Eliana Navy, was taken to WakeMed, where she died, Stephens said.

The state Department of Health and Human Services inspected the home after the child's death and found 17 violations ranging from inadequate supervision of children to the lack of an operating smoke detector and more minor issues related to record keeping.

DHHS suspended the license of owner and operator Judy Lucas the next day.

In a letter to Lucas, DHHS noted "conditions at the home represent immediate danger to the health, safety and welfare of children" being cared for there.

Lucas answered the door there Wednesday, but declined to comment.

Police are waiting on the final report on an official cause of death before completing their investigation.

"A provider of day care, just like any other person that provides care for children, ... certainly has certain standards of care that are expected to be met," Apex Police Chief Jack Lewis said.

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