3-year-old left in Greenville daycare van for six hours

GREENVILLE, Texas - Child welfare investigators are trying to determine how a little boy was left in a locked daycare van for almost six hours Tuesday afternoon in Hunt County.

The 3-year-old boy was taken to a hospital and is expected to be okay, despite being trapped in the hot daycare van from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. with no food or water.

Greenville police say a daycare van driver with Wee Wisdom Pre-School was supposed to drop the boy off at L.P. Waters Early Childhood Center. But the driver did not notice that the boy was still in the van.

Once back at the daycare, the van sat outside in the heat until it was time to pick kids up at the school in the afternoon.

Police say when the driver opened the door to the van, the little boy was standing up inside.

Kyla Bennett was there as the boy was taken to the hospital.

"He had to be terrified. He had to be scared," she said. "Pretty sure it was his mom, came out behind him crying."

When a daycare representative was asked by FOX 4 Reporter Lori Brown for comment, she said, "I can't talk now. You need to leave."

The same day care representative was later seen picking up children at L.P. Waters.

A state child care licensing inspector was at the day care investigating the incident.

Bennett said her sister attended Wee Wisdom Daycare for years.

"They were always really good with her," she explained.

Based on state inspections this year, Wee Wisdom was cited for five deficiencies out of 1,500 safety standards. The violations were for missing training paperwork, and missing background checks -- a violation that was later corrected.

Police say no one has been charged with any crimes, but the investigation is still open.

Greenville ISD said in a statement when the boy was not in class, he was marked as absent.