Last week, officers were called to Kiddie Junction day care in Des Plaines, Illinois, after the facility's management reported that 32-year-old Kristen Lauletta, 19-year-old Jessica Heyse and 25-year-old Ashley Helfenbein were all suspected of handing out the gummies to 12 children only two and three years of age.
The three caregivers admitted to giving out the gummies to the children, claiming they believed it was safe since the supplement could be obtained over the counter. Police also reportedly have footage showing the teachers giving out the melatonin gummy bears during two separate occasions. One of the teachers may have been handing out the gummy bears since November 2016, although it is not clear how long the children have been consuming them.
According to the police, the women are cooperating with officials and are expected to appear in court on April 4.
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) March 6, 2018
Des Plaines Police Commander Christopher Mierzwa said that the Walgreens-brand gummies that the caregivers were dishing out have a clear label stating that they should not be given to children under the age of 16.
"You can't distribute that without the parents being told," Mierzwa told the Chicago Tribune. "[The teachers] didn't know if the child was allergic to melatonin."
None of the parents of the children at the daycare said that their children had adverse reactions when police contacted them, although one unidentified parent reported that his child appeared to be groggy after being picked up from the facility on one occasion.
"When the detective called me, he didn't specify what classroom it happened [in] and he called me and said ‘I'm detective so-and-so with the Des Plaines Police Department and I'm here at the Kiddie Junction' and my heart dropped," parent Edi Kulasic told the Chicago Tribune.
Kathy Wiley, whose grandson Mason goes to Kiddie Junction, told the Chicago Tribune that the incident has not reduced her trust in the teachers at the center.
"I feel terrible for the owners and the management and this is just some poor choices that these girls made," she told the Chicago Tribune.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there aren't any reports of significant side effects in children consuming melatonin. However, melatonin is still a hormone that could affect normal hormonal development and should not be given to children without a doctor's consultation.
