10-05-2025
Absolutely adorable toddler died the most needless death after parents dropped him at unlicensed day care
An adorable boy was found dead in a car seat after he was left in the care of a woman who operated an unlicensed day care in North Carolina.
Mercedes Rodriguez, 59, was arrested on April 30 after a one-year-old boy named Jacob Machado Carlos was found blue and unresponsive in her care.
Authorities found Jacob in a car seat with the straps around the upper half of his body.
Jacob's parents dropped him off with Rodriguez around 5:30 am. Another parent noticed the child needed medical attention around 9 am and called 911.
Rodriguez was arrested for operating a child care facility without a license and will face an additional homicide charge.
The child's heartbroken parents had to bury their adorable child before attending Rodriguez's court hearing.
'My son Jacob was very friendly. He loves to run outside and play with his sibling,' Jacob's mother tearfully recalled in an interview with local Fox affiliate, WGHP.
His father added that he was 'filled with love, and was a very happy kid.'
'He got that from our family. Always went up to everyone with open arms. He did that to the rest of the world,' his father said.
Jacob's parents told WGHP that their other children are struggling to cope with their little brother's death.
Another family member told the outlet, 'We took him to her [Rodriguez]. We thought she was taking care of him like the mother she is, but we never thought she'd leave him … in the car seat all morning.'
The Guilford County District Attorney's Office said that Rodriguez was caring for 13 children at the unlicensed day care center. Another child in her care was hospitalized on the same day as Jacob's death.
WGHP also reported that Rodriguez was investigated in 2019 after an alleged assault of a child.
Jacob's parents wanted the judge to raise Rodriguez's bail, fearing she was a flight risk since she was under a deportation order.
However, the judge declined to increase Rodriguez's $10,000 bail until official homicide charges were filed.
Jacob's family attended the hearing and told WGHP they were disappointed with the results.
reached out to Guilford County Police for an update on the case but didn't immediately hear back.
