OCALA, Fla. – A Marion County day care announced on Friday it will be closing down after a father says he went to pick up his son and found him outside alone.
The voluntary closing of Crossroads Child Care Center on SW 60th Avenue in Ocala comes after a child neglect investigation.
"I'd like to find out how my grandson ended up outside and if this has ever happened before," said Tonia Mueller, the grandmother of the boy.
Mueller said her son was picking up 2-year-old Braydon from day care when he found him outside near an empty retention pond, barefoot and alone.
The boy's father went to the head of the day care, which said they didn't know how the boy got out there.
Marion County Sheriff's Office was called in, along with Department of Children and Families.
"There appeared to be no criminal intent on their part to neglect Braydon," the report stated.
Deputies said the boy could have been left outside for possibly 10 minutes alone.
"It doesn't matter if it was one second, you don't leave a baby unattended," Mueller said. "Anything could have happened to him."
Parents coming to pick up their kids on Friday received a letter notifying them they're closing on July 25. The day care center has been open for a year and has served more than a dozen families.