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3 Fontana Child Care Workers Arrested In Death Of Toddler

FONTANA (CBSLA.com/AP) — Authorities investigating the death of an 18-month-old boy have arrested three employees of a Southern California child care facility.

Deacon Morin was found unresponsive after being placed down for a nap Oct. 5 at Marriott Family Child Care in Fontana. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died five days later.

Investigators say the boy was wearing an amber-beaded necklace around his neck - used apparently for teething - when he took the nap. He was later found unresponsive and not breathing, but a cause of death is still pending.

Police on Tuesday arrested Sagan Marriott, 27, Rebecca Lutz, 29, and 52-year-old Deborah Jimenez on suspicion of child endangerment. According to Fontana police investigators, Marriott and Lutz called Jimenez to arrive before calling 911.

Authorities say the facility was found to be caring for more children that day than its state license allows. The facility was licensed to care for no more than 4 infants at a time, but on the day of this incident, six infants and 12 children were present at the time.

Police say Marriott and Lutz worked for Jimenez, the owner of another childcare facility called Little Impressions Child Care, aka Jimenez Family Child Care. Jimenez sent children to the Marriott facility regularly, knowing they were exceeding their maximum limits, police said.

Both Marriott and Lutz are being held on $100,000 bail and are scheduled to make their first court appearance Thursday. Jimenez was freed after posting bail and her arraignment date has not yet been set, Fontana police Sgt. Kevin Goltara said.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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