Day-care employees arrested after allegedly spiking kids' food with melatonin without parents' knowledge

The owner of a day-care business in New Hampshire as well as three of her employees have been arrested after they allegedly sprinkled a drug on kids' food, ostensibly in an effort to help them sleep.

Police in Manchester, New Hampshire, first began investigating the home day-care center in the city's West End back in November. At the time, they had received reports that employees there had been adding melatonin to lunches served to kids in their charge.

'Obviously they’re doing that to knock the kids out, but that’s something that shouldn’t be done at all, period.'

"Somebody who’d been inside the building ... had heard about the practices and tipped us off to that," said Heather Hamel, a spokesperson for the police department. "We also got some anonymous tips as well through our crime line."

Hamel suggested the employees had perhaps "broken up" melatonin pills into "a powder-type substance." She also explained a possible motive behind the alleged additive: "This is something that is an over-the-counter drug that’s usually used as a sleep aid."

Finally, she stated that the melatonin was given to children "with no knowledge for the parents and no consent." Luckily, no child fell ill as a result of the allegedly spiked food, police said, according to the Daily Mail.

The owner of the day-care business, 52-year-old Sally Dreckmann, as well as three of her employees — 23-year-old Kaitlin Filardo, 23-year-old Jessica Foster, and 51-year-old Traci Innie — turned themselves in on 10 counts each of endangering the welfare of a child, police said Thursday.

All four suspects were later released. They are due back in court next month.

Police also confirmed that the day-care facility, which was not named in the reports, is not licensed. However, day-care centers in home residences can operate without a license in the state of New Hampshire, so long as no more than three children are cared for at one time.

"If it was my child I’d be extremely upset," said neighbor Gary Boucher. "Obviously they’re doing that to knock the kids out, but that’s something that shouldn’t be done at all, period."

A woman at the address of the day-care center told 7News that she had "no comment" and directed all questions to her attorney. When the outlet contacted the attorney, she denied that the woman was a client.

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