4-Year-Old Boy Dies At Hillsborough Daycare, Mother Seeks Answers

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A mother is seeking answers after her four-year-old son became unresponsive and died while in the care of a Hillsborough daycare.

Shanya Robins said she had stayed quiet publicly about what happened, but decided it is time to speak.

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On Aug. 14, her son Yasmir was in the care of Blooming Hearts Child Development Center in Hillsborough when she got a phone call telling her that her son was unresponsive.

She said that when she arrived at the day care, she found him "still sitting in a chair, limp and not breathing."

"I immediately began trying to help my child and told staff to call 911," Robins said. "That is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life."

Robins also said she has cooperated with investigations, provided information when asked and continued waiting for answers.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office(SCPO) confirmed to Patch that the case remains under investigation.

"The investigation remains ongoing, and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office is unable to provide any further information at this time," SCPO spokesperson Kathryn Kutepow said.

Robins has raised questions about how the medical emergency was handled.

"What I am struggling to understand is why this daycare is currently still listed as a licensed child-care center while I am still waiting for answers and final findings regarding what happened to my child," Robins said.

She also called for "transparency and accountability" from the agencies responsible for protecting children in New Jersey.

"Was every required emergency procedure followed? Why did I arrive to find my child in the condition that I did? What has the investigation determined? And what actions, if any, will be taken?" asked Robins.

Robins said she is not asking anyone to target the center or its employees.

"I am not asking anyone to harass, threaten, or attack this daycare or its employees," she said. "I am simply a mother who lost her child and refuses to stop asking questions about what happened to him."

Robins asked the public to continue to share her son's story in hopes of finding answers.

A request for comment from Blooming Hearts Child Development Center was not immediately returned to Patch.