Infant Child’s Death Leads to Discovery of Illegal Daycare in Rockland County

Over the weekend law enforcement in Rockland County announced the release of new information regarding an illegal child daycare investigation. The investigation began last month, following the report of an emergency situation involving an infant child, which unfortunately ended in tragedy.

Unresponsive Infant in Spring Valley

The emergency situation occurred during the late afternoon of January 22, 2026, when the Spring Valley Police Department was alerted to the report of an unresponsive infant child at a local residence. Within minutes, police would arrive to the residence location at 18 White Street, and encountered an adult woman holding the unresponsive, six-month old infant child.

Life saving measures were started immidiately, and the infant was rushed to a local hospital for further treatment. Unfortunately, those efforts were unsuccessful, and the infant child was later pronounced deceased.

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Back at the residence on White Street, it was discovered that their were an additional eight children who all appeared to be in good health. Law enforcement notified Child Protective Services and the Rockland County Building Department of the situation, where they then responded to the scene and began their own investigation.

Spring Valley Investigation Details

The extensive investigation into the tragic situation would make a number of determinations, the primary claim being that 47-year-old Spring Valley resident Maria L. Nava-Nava was operating an unlicensed daycare out of her residence.

It was stated in the press release, issued by the Spring Valley Police Department via Facebook, that "...there was no evidence that Nava-Nava's actions directly contributed to the child’s death". Several children were present at the residence at the time of the incident, with the age of those children ranging between 2-years old and 8-years old.

This all leads to last week, when Spring Valley Police Department officially placed Nava-Nava under arrest. Nava-Nava was charged with seven counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor. After being charged, she was arraigned in Spring Valley Justice Court before the Honorable Judge Sweet and was later released on her own recognizance.

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At this time, law enforcement is still investigating the tragic case and are accepting assistance. The Spring Valley Police Department is requesting that anyone with information related to this incident to contact the department at 845-356- 7400 or email tips@villagespringvalley.org.