A former Indiana daycare director will spend six months behind bars for giving children melatonin gummies without their parents’ permission.
On Friday, Tonya Rachelle Voris, 53, was sentenced after pleading guilty last year to felony neglect and misdemeanor reckless supervision by a childcare provider. In addition to six months behind bars, she’ll serve 18 months on probation.
The incident occurred while Voris was employed at the Kidz Life Childcare Ministry at New Life Church in Cumberland, where she provided the gummies to help children sleep during nap time at the daycare.
According to The New York Times, court documents indicate that Voris gave the gummies to 17 children under her care. The children’s ages ranged from infants to four years old.
Initially, a parent had granted permission for the administration of the sleep aid to their child during the daily two-hour nap. Voris started giving melatonin to other children after she “was pleased with the effects of the melatonin,” David M. Faulk, the pastor of New Life Church in Cumberland, Ind., reportedly said.
“Voris dispensed the melatonin gummies to forcefully induce sleep in several children for her personal gain in not having to deal with fussy or problematic children who would not sleep during naptime which was characterized by several staff members as their break-time,” court documents obtained by FOX 59 read.
Voris continued to give the children melatonin until Faulk became aware of it. She was fired from her position in January 2023.
Some parents of the victims told investigators that their children began having difficulties sleeping at night after they were given gummies. Court documents said the children displayed erratic behavior, irritability, and headaches.
One parent reported that their 1-year-old child developed a skin rash, recognized as a typical allergic reaction to the supplement, court documents read.
“There are many side effects of OTC medications and those can impact individuals in a variety of ways depending on any other health conditions, medications, and other supplements present, which is why it’s imperative parents always give express permission for any medication to be given,” Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton previously said.
Hancock Superior Court Judge Dan Marshall issued a sentence where all terms were ordered to run concurrently. Voris has the possibility of early release for good behavior.
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[Feature Photo: Tonya Rachelle Voris/Hancock County Jail]
