Laura Rebeca Ribeiro dos Santos, aged 1 year and 4 months, died on Thursday afternoon (December 11) in Ceilândia, Federal District, after strangling herself on the strap of a baby carrier at a caregiver's home. It was the child's first time under the professional's care, who called the Samu emergency service upon noticing the incident. The family accuses negligence, and the case is under police investigation.
The tragedy took place in QNO 6, block P, Setor O, in Ceilândia, around midday on Thursday (December 11). Laura Rebeca Ribeiro dos Santos, aged 1 year and 4 months, was under the care of a private caregiver for the first time. The family usually left the baby with relatives when the mother had commitments, but chose this location due to good references.
According to reports, the caregiver left Laura sleeping in the baby carrier. After about two hours, upon checking why the child had not woken up, she found her trapped by the strap, already lifeless. The professional immediately called the Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu), but rescuers attempted resuscitation for over an hour without success. A neighbor, Vanda Araújo, a friend of the caregiver, witnessed the scene: “I saw a bunch of vehicles and ran, barefoot, thinking it was something with her. [...] That’s when blood started coming from her nose and mouth.”
The caregiver, who has worked privately for about three years without prior accidents, is devastated. “She just cries and keeps saying, all the time, that her life is over. Her husband is also very down,” Vanda reported. In an Instagram post, the victim's aunt accused negligence: “It was the first day, and this fatality already happened. [...] According to the woman from the daycare who cares for the children, she left Laura sleeping and after two hours, went to check on Laurinha because it seemed strange she hadn’t woken up, and when she saw her, she was dead. Total negligence.”
The death was pronounced at the scene by paramedics. The Military Police preserved the site until the arrival of the Federal District Civil Police (PCDF), and the case is being investigated by the 24th Police Station (DP). There are no indications of intentional crime, but the inquiry focuses on the caregiver's supervision.
