Daycare Operator and Babysitter Plead Guilty in Separate Infant Deaths

Melanie DiMarzio pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangering in the death of infant Grant Simmons, who suffocated while in the care of the unlicensed daycare she and her husband operated in East Canton, Ohio. Prosecutors said he was placed on a bed rather than in a crib; the home cared for several children despite lacking proper licensing and safety practices. A judge sentenced DiMarzio to five years in prison, and the daycare was shut down after Simmons’ death. Separately, Pittsburgh babysitter Nicole Virzi pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, aggravated assault and child endangerment after a six-week-old twin died from a skull fracture and brain bleeding in her care in 2024; the other twin was also injured.