New documents revealed surrounding 3-month-old’s day care death

KENTWOOD, Mich. -- Eleven violations are coming to light after the death of a 3-month-old at a Kentwood day care.
Teresa Mowers didn't even appeal the violations at her day care center where police say 3-month-old Cooper Fales died and she willingly allowed Bridges Day Care to be closed for good.
New DHS documents reveal Cooper was dropped off at Bridges Day Care around 7 a.m. Feb. 19. There were a total of 10 children in Mowers’ care that day, when she was only approved to care for six.
Mowers told police Cooper had a bottle around 4 p.m. and fell asleep around 5.
At 5:18 p.m. Mowers sent a text to Cooper’s father, sources tell us, saying Cooper had been fussy and slept more than usual that day.
Investigators say when Cooper’s father picked him and his siblings up from day care Cooper was in his carrier, covered for the cold weather.
When the family arrived to their Grand Rapids home, lifting the cover over the nearly 4-month-old baby, they found Cooper unresponsive.
Investigators say the medical examiner ruled Cooper had died hours earlier, at Bridges Day Care.
DHS launched a special investigation into Mowers’ day care and the home where she ran it. The first violation was for no records of the children that day, which the documents show Mowers first lied about.
The investigation revealed Mowers had no cribs or port-a-cribs in her home and said she held all the infants as they slept, even though she had multiple infants on the same day.
The documents show Mowers lied when asked if a specific child was in her care that day, saying the child had only stopped by with his mother. One call to that child`s mother revealed he had indeed been in Mowers’ care that day.
Mowers was also offering overnight care, which she was not approved for.
During a second investigation, the DHS worker went upstairs into the bedroom Mowers reported using for infants until the week previously, which reportedly was impossible to enter, with debris covering the floor.
The documents also reveal Mowers has refused a second interview with the Grand Rapids Police Department.
The cause of Cooper’s death is still under investigation, though investigators say there were no obvious signs of trauma.
A search warrant was executed at Mowers’ home day care Thursday.