DUNWOODY, Ga. — A trial date is now set for a Dunwoody daycare owner accused of an infant's murder.
Amanda Hickey, the owner of Little Lovey Home Daycare, will now stand trial next summer after a DeKalb County grand jury felt there was enough evidence to charge her in the child's death among other child abuse charges. Her trial is set to begin July 5, 2023.
The jury returned its 20-count indictment more than a year after a 4-month-old boy was found dead in his crib on Feb. 3, 2021.
Investigators said the infant had been placed down for a nap on his stomach, against the medical recommendation for a child of his age. Video shows the child was left unsupervised for more than two hours before he was found.
Authorities said they also uncovered other alleged abuse against six other victims in the daycare center involving children six months to 16 months old. Hickey is accused of holding a 7-month-old with one hand by the leg and letting go of him while he was upside down, causing the child to fall on his face, records show. On a different occasion, investigators said Hickey also grabbed a 14-month-old by the hair forcing them to lie down, according to a warrant.
Investigators also noted Little Lovey was licensed to care for a maximum of six children but on the date of the alleged incidents, the daycare was at nearly double capacity.
The state ordered an emergency closure of Hickey's facility and is no longer in operation.