Virginia woman arrested for incident where infant died in unlicensed childcare facility

A Stuarts Draft woman was arrested Friday and charged with 13 counts of abuse and neglect of children pertaining to an Oct. 18, 2022, incident where a child died in her care.

Denise Stewart, 53, was allegedly operating an unlicensed childcare facility out of her residence on Stuarts Draft Highway in Augusta County.

Stewart was indicted by an Augusta County Grand Jury on Jan. 22 for the following charges:

• 13 counts of abuse and neglect of children (one count for each child in her care on the day the infant died)
• Two counts of welfare fraud

Stewart was released on bond.

According to court records, on Oct. 18, 2022, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office and Augusta County Fire and Rescue responded to an unresponsive child who was not breathing at Stewart’s home in Stuarts Draft.

Fire and rescue personnel attempted life-saving measures on the infant child that were unsuccessful.

An investigation was launched by the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services into the cause of the infant’s death and the use of this residence as an at-home childcare facility.

After a lengthy investigation, the manner of this infant child’s death was ruled “undetermined” by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

At the time of the infant’s death, Stewart was found to be caring for 13 children. Caring for this number of children violates the state mandates for the proper child-to-adult caregiver ratio.