Toddler Suffocated to Death by Daycare Employee Who Laid on Top of Her: Lawsuit.

In Lenoir, North Carolina, 16-month-old Maddy Mitchell was dropped off at Creative Beginnings daycare on May 19, 2025. It was her first day there, but she never made it home alive.

According to a civil lawsuit filed by Maddy’s parents in Caldwell County, employee Alexandra Coffey placed the toddler face down on a sleeping mat, covered her head with a blanket, held her legs down using her own legs, and then laid her upper body across Maddy’s torso and neck. The suit alleges Coffey stayed in that position while scrolling on her phone until Maddy’s leg stopped moving. After that, Coffey reportedly left the child under the blanket without checking on her for about three hours, during which Maddy stayed motionless and died.

According to the lawsuit the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by smothering from compression asphyxia.
Coffey, 29, was charged with involuntary manslaughter following the incident. She bonded out after her arrest, and her case is still ongoing. The lawsuit accuses Coffey and the daycare of gross negligence and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages in a jury trial. Coffey’s legal team hasn’t publicly responded to the claims yet.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services suspended Creative Beginnings’ license and ordered it shut down after the death.