A New Hampshire daycare owner and three of her employees are facing child endangerment charges for allegedly spiking kids' food with melatonin without their parents' knowledge or consent.
Manchester police said the 52-year-old daycare owner Sally Dreckmann and 51-year-old Traci Innie, 23-year-old Kaitlin Filardo and 23-year-old Jessica Foster, all of Manchester, turned themselves in after arrest warrants were issued charging each of them with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Police said the arrests come following a lengthy investigation that began in November of 2023, when detectives received a report alleging unsafe practices going on in an in-home daycare at 316 Armory St.
As a result of their investigation, the Manchester Police Juvenile Division determined the children's food was being sprinkled with melatonin without their parents' knowledge or consent. They said none of the children required medical attention.
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Melatonin is an over-the-counter drug often used as a sleep aid. It is generally considered safe for short-term use, according to the Mayo Clinic, but there can be some side effects, including headache, dizziness and nausea.
A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 600% increase in the number of children and teens reported to poison control centers for melatonin ingestion over the past decade.
Dreckmann was released on $400 cash bail and will be arraigned on June 10. Innie and Foster were both released on personal recognizance bail and have court dates of June 6. No details were immediately available on FIlardo's bail or court date.
