SHE WAS ONLY 6 — NOW THREE DAYCARE WORKERS FACE CHARGES AFTER GIRL WAS LEFT IN HOT BUS FOR HOURS

Winter Jones was supposed to be taken from daycare to school that morning. Instead, authorities say she remained inside a daycare vehicle until the afternoon.

A six-year-old girl in Tennessee was supposed to spend an ordinary day at school.

Instead, Winter Jones never made it there.

Now, three employees of the Memphis-area daycare where she was being cared for have been indicted in connection with her death after authorities said she was left inside a hot daycare vehicle for hours.

The case has devastated Winter’s family and raised serious questions about how basic transportation and child-safety procedures were handled at the facility.

WINTER WAS SUPPOSED TO GO TO SCHOOL

On the morning of August 13, Winter was dropped off at Kid University in Memphis, Tennessee.

According to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office, the six-year-old was supposed to be transported from the daycare to Macon Hall Elementary School.

But authorities say Winter remained inside the daycare vehicle after it returned to Kid University.

She was not discovered until around 3 p.m.

By then, she was unresponsive.

Winter was taken to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Her father, Bryan Jones, previously said his daughter’s internal temperature had reached approximately 109 degrees.

THREE DAYCARE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN INDICTED

On September 11, a Shelby County grand jury indicted three people connected to Kid University.

They are:

• Tametria Norry, 49, the daycare bus driver
• Sabrina Powe, an assistant director
• Amilya Hardin, a daycare assistant

Each was indicted on one count of aggravated child neglect, criminally negligent homicide, and destruction of and tampering with governmental records, according to authorities.

The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Norry was booked into the Shelby County Jail and was being held on a $100,000 bond, according to WMC.

INVESTIGATORS FOUND MORE THAN ONE SAFETY FAILURE

Following Winter’s death, the Tennessee Department of Human Services conducted a fatality inspection of Kid University.

Investigators reportedly found the daycare was not complying with several transportation requirements.

Among the findings were that required vehicle inspections were not completed after children were unloaded, transportation logs were not accurately completed and mandatory walk-throughs to ensure every child had left the vehicle were not conducted.

Those findings have become a central part of the case.

For Winter’s family, however, no investigation can undo what happened.

“THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE”

Winter’s parents spoke publicly about their daughter at a September 10 news conference.

Her father described her death as “senseless” and blamed what he called absolute negligence.

He said he would never get to experience important milestones with his daughter — including walking her down the aisle or watching her grow into adulthood.

Winter had been diagnosed with autism, and her family said she had been making progress.

Her mother, Nakia Cloman, described the devastating phone call she received from the daycare.

She said staff told her that Winter had been left on the bus and was barely breathing.

By the time Cloman reached the hospital, her daughter was gone.

“I DON’T WANT ANOTHER CHILD TO BECOME A HEADLINE”

Winter’s family is now calling for accountability — but also for changes that could prevent another child from suffering a similar fate.

One of the family’s attorneys said the employees were being investigated for numerous alleged violations of childcare protocols.

The family also plans to pursue the matter in civil court.

Cloman said she does not want another family to experience what hers has endured.

“I don’t want another child to become a headline before people decide that something needs to change,” she said, according to WMC.

KID UNIVERSITY HAS CLOSED

Following Winter’s death, Kid University permanently closed, and the facility’s owner, Dr. Raven Marshall-Lewis, surrendered its license, according to reports.

The closure marks the end of the daycare where Winter was supposed to be safely cared for that morning.

But for her parents, the consequences are permanent.

Winter was six years old.

She was supposed to get off a daycare vehicle and continue with her day.

Instead, authorities say she was left behind for hours.

Now, three people face criminal charges, while her family continues to grieve the little girl they say was making progress and had so much life ahead of her.

And her mother has one message that now hangs over the entire case:

No other child should have to become a headline before someone decides that something needs to change.