Death of baby at day care probed

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Police are trying to find out how a baby died after somehow being injured about noon Friday at a day care in the 3300 block of Lenox Avenue.

Reports said officers were called to the day care for a report of a 4-month-old baby who was not breathing, and when they arrived, there already were two ambulances there.

Deborah Poindexter, who runs the Care Bear Daycare in her basement, told police the infant, Mekhi Dawson, was lying on the floor of the basement when Poindexter went upstairs to answer the door.

Reports said when Poindexter returned, the baby was crying. Reports said Poindexter told police she thinks one of the other smaller children at the day care may have fallen on Mekhi while she was upstairs.

Poindexter told police she changed the baby’s diaper and picked him up because he was still crying, and was walking and bouncing him when clear fluid came out of the baby’s nose and he stopped breathing.

Poindexter then called 911, reports said.

Paramedics working on the baby told police he was dead. The baby was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital, reports said.