Three employees of a Memphis childcare center were indicted on felony charges after a six‑year‑old girl, Winter Jones, died in a van that was left in the heat for at least six hours. The indictment, returned by a grand jury on September 11, accuses driver Tametria Norry, assistant director Sabrina Powe and daycare assistant Amilya Hardin of aggravated child neglect, criminally negligent homicide and tampering with government records.
Jones, a non‑verbal autistic child, was picked up from home on August 13 and was supposed to be transported to Macon Hall Elementary School. Instead, she remained in a Kid University van that returned to the facility in the Cordova neighborhood. Investigators say the staff failed to carry out required vehicle inspections, neglected van walk‑throughs and kept inaccurate transportation logs. On the day of the incident, Memphis temperatures reached the upper 90s with a heat index of 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
Each defendant was ordered bail of $100,000. Norry and Powe were booked on the day of the indictment, while Hardin was arrested the following Monday. Kid University permanently closed after the death, and owner Dr. Raven Marshall‑Lewis surrendered the facility’s license. The case marks the second fatality at a Marshall‑Lewis‑operated childcare center, following the 2021 death of a three‑month‑old child at the Ivy League Learning Center.
The family has held a press conference and is considering a civil lawsuit in addition to the criminal proceedings. Bryan Jones, the victim’s father, said the charges provided a “sigh of relief” while his lawyer, Taurus Bailey, noted that other parties, including the childcare academy, may face civil liability for the failure to ensure proper care.
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