Overview
- A judge sentenced co-owner Nina Fathizadeh to 13 years in prison and co-owner Shahin Gheblehshenas to eight years, and denied probation for both.
- Prosecutors said the women’s criminal negligence led to the deaths of two toddlers and the near-drowning of a third at the in-home Happy Happy Daycare.
- Staffing gaps left one caregiver alone when the children were in a rear patio play area next to a pool, and the co-owner had left to work at another unlicensed daycare.
- Emergency responders were called after a child was found floating and a family member then discovered two other children unconscious; the two toddlers were later pronounced dead.
- Investigators found the pool gate had been propped open and that neither owner checked the gate despite knowing it had been left open before, raising questions about safety at informal home daycare operations.