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State Revokes Daycare License for Woman Arrested in Death of 20-Month-Old

By Eddie Small | August 26, 2014 3:32pm
 OCFS has revoked Athena Skeeter's daycare provider's license, according to an agency spokeswoman.
OCFS has revoked Athena Skeeter's daycare provider's license, according to an agency spokeswoman.
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CLAREMONT — The state has revoked the daycare provider license for Athena Skeeter, the woman arrested in the death of one of the children in her care, 20-month-old Cardell Williamson.

The Office of Children and Family Services revoked Skeeter's license on Monday and has opened an investigation into the situation, according to a spokeswoman for the agency.

The city's Administration for Children's Services is also investigating Skeeter's treatment of Williamson as well after receiving a complaint on Aug. 22, the day of the boy's death, according to department spokesman Christopher McKniff.

Skeeter has been charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child, officials said.

Prosecutors said she hurled Williamson onto a hardwood floor and stepped on his stomach multiple times during what she described as a rough session of play wrestling, according to prosecutors.

She told prosecutors she put the toddler in a bathtub where she tried to use cold water to revive him, according to court documents. She claimed she left him briefly, then came back into the bathroom to find him facedown in scalding hot water, court documents said.

Police found Williamson having trouble breathing in Skeeter's home at 1374 College Ave. on Friday afternoon and took him to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Skeeter, who also goes by the name Athena Cross, was held without bail and is due back in court on Thursday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio described the death as a "tragedy" at a press conference on Monday and promised to conduct a full investigation.

"My understanding, very preliminarily, is this was a center with both state and city oversight, and so we want to get down to the bottom of what happened here," he said.

The center was licensed by the state and was issued four administrative violations by the state that date back to October 2012. All have been corrected.

Skeeter was cited by the city health department for not being trained in CPR or First Aid.