According to the Manchester Police Department, an investigation into the allegations was launched in November 2023 after authorities received reports of 'unsafe practices' at the daycare center. At the end of the six-month investigation, it was confirmed that children had been given melatonin.
The nursery was unlicensed
As part of the investigation, 52-year-old daycare center owner Sally Dreckmann, 51-year-old employee Traci Innie and 23-year-old employees Kaitlin Filardo and Jessica Foster were detained.
"Melatonin was added to children's meals without their parents' knowledge or consent," the police said in a statement. It is not yet known how many children were given melatonin in the daycare center and how long this continued.
Residents in the area said they did not know there was such a daycare center in their neighborhood.
Melatonin is a supplement sold to help sleep, but its long-term effects on children are not widely known.
Police also found that Dreckmann's daycare did not have a license, WBZ News reported. Under New Hampshire law, it is legal to operate a daycare without a license in the state as long as no more than three children are being cared for at the same time.
