Four New Hampshire Daycare Workers Arrested for Drugging Children with Sleep Aids (VIDEO)

 

The owner and three employees at an unlicensed New Hampshire daycare were arrested on Thursday for allegedly lacing children’s food with melatonin.

Sally Dreckmann, 52, the daycare owner, and her employees Traci Innie, 51; Kaitlin Filardo, 23; and Jessica Foster, 23, have all been charged with ten counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

According to the Manchester Police Department, the melatonin was being given to the children without their parents’ knowledge or consent.

KFOX 14 reports, “Dreckmann’s arrest comes after a lengthy investigation after Manchester police detectives got a tip in November 2023 about ‘unsafe practices going on’ at the daycare at 316 Amory Street.”

Melatonin is an over-the-counter drug used to induce sleep.

“This is an over-the-counter drug that can be given as a sleep aid, but for it to be given to children without the knowledge or consent of the parents, it’s very concerning,” Heather Hamel, a Manchester Police Department spokesperson, told local station WHDH.

Hamel said that the melatonin was sprinkled into the children’s food during lunch.

KFOX notes, “It’s unknown how much melatonin was used and how long the suspects had been using melatonin on the children.”