Four daycare employees in New Hampshire were arrested on Thursday after allegedly spiking children’s food with the sleep supplement melatonin.
In November 2023, authorities conducted an investigation at a daycare center located in Manchester, New Hampshire, which is approximately 30 minutes away from the state capital of Concord. As a result of this investigation, arrests were made.
Authorities responded to a report of “unsafe practices” at the daycare center, according to ABC News. The Manchester police department issued a press release about the incident.
After conducting their investigation, the police discovered that the children’s food had been surreptitiously laced with melatonin, unbeknownst to their parents and without their consent.
Dreckmann and her three colleagues are each facing 10 charges of endangering children, according to the New York Daily News.
The exact number of children at the daycare who had been given melatonin and the duration of its administration remained uncertain as of Friday.
Melatonin, an over-the-counter sleep aid supplement, has gained popularity in recent years. However, there is limited knowledge about the long-term effects of melatonin on children.
In recent years, there have been numerous cases of children unintentionally overdosing on melatonin. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 7% of emergency department visits from 2012 to 2021 were due to children accidentally ingesting melatonin.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has issued a health warning regarding the use of melatonin among children and adolescents. They express concern over the lack of oversight by the US Food and Drug Administration for this sleep aid.
According to WBZ News, police have also found out that Dreckmann’s daycare was not licensed. In New Hampshire, it is permissible to run an unlicensed daycare as long as it does not exceed three children at a time.
According to local neighbors, they had no knowledge of a daycare operating in their community.
“I have firsthand experience as a grandparent,” Gary Boucher exclaimed, expressing his disbelief. “This is absolutely outrageous, there’s no denying it.”
“If it were my child, I would be extremely upset.”
Boucher expressed his hope that authorities would take further action by not only making arrests at the daycare but also shutting down the entire facility.
