Toddler missing from daycare in Mission found dead in swimming pool

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      A search for a toddler who went missing from a daycare in Mission, B.C., ended in a tragic discovery.

      Mission RCMP received a 911 call around 4:40 p.m. on May 23 from the owner of a daycare located on the 33000 block of Hawthorne Avenue about a toddler, one month away from her second birthday, who had gone missing for about 10 minutes.

      When RCMP officers arrived and searched the daycare and neighbouring properties, they discovered her unresponsive in a large underground swimming pool.

      The girl was retrieved and officers applied CPR until the B.C. Ambulance Service took her to Mission Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

      While the RCMP did not release the name of the daycare, news reports have identified it as Melissa's Bright Beginnings Childcare Centre.

      An unscheduled routine inspection report by Fraser Health on January 10 listed several violations.

      The report states that there were supervision challenges at the daycare due to the layout, as not all children in the daycare could be within "direct line of vision".

      There were also five children at the daycare who were under the age of 3, which exceeds the maximum of three children within that age range.

      The licensee's certificate had expired in November 2017, although she had a certified substitute available.

      According to several news reports, the daycare license, which was granted in September 2017, has been suspended by Fraser Health.

      An investigation by the Mission RCMP serious crimes unit and the B.C. Coroners Office is ongoing.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook

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