Nina Fathizadeh, left, and Shahin Gheblehshenas.Photo:SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT
SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT
A mother and daughter from California have been arrested and charged after two allegedly unattended toddlers drowned earlier this month in a pool at the residential daycare they owned together.
Nina Fathizadeh, 41, and her mother, Shahin Gheblehshenas, 64, are charged with felony child endangerment and are expected to be arraigned on Dec. 6, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced in an Oct. 13news release.
Police responded to the licensed home daycare after Fathizadeh called 911 around 9 a.m. on Oct. 2 to report a drowning.
About five minutes later, when Fathizadeh went into the yard she saw an unconscious 2-year-old child floating in the pool, according to the D.A.’s office. As she attempted CPR, her brother found two other children — 16 and 18-month-old girls — floating in the deep end. The girls were later pronounced dead.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
The 2-year-old was left in critical condition but is expected to make a full recovery.
Investigators said neither owner had checked the gate before the children were led into the backyard to play.
“There is a responsibility to watch over little children in your care like a hawk,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Now it is our responsibility to make sure that these defendants are held accountable for this avoidable and heart-breaking tragedy.”
It’s unclear if Fathizadeh and Gheblehshenas have retained an attorney to speak on their behalf.
source: people.com
