ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – News4JAX partner WKMG reported that a 31-year-old St. Petersburg woman, accused of the death of a 9-month-old child in her care nearly a year ago, was arrested on Tuesday by the St. Petersburg Police Department, officials said.
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Deputies were called to an apartment on July 25, 2024, for an unresponsive baby left in the care of Desiree Rentz, who would not wake up from a nap, a news release said.
Rentz was allegedly running a daycare with more than a dozen children in her one-bedroom apartment at the time and misrepresented herself to parents as a licensed daycare operator, detectives said.
The licenses Rentz displayed on her wall were for temporary foster care with a capacity of one, authorities said, and the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Children and Families both confirmed that Rentz never had a daycare license.
The Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and confirmed that the baby was given cough syrup not recommended for children under the age of 4, without the parents’ knowledge or consent, officials said.
Rentz was arrested and jailed in Pinellas County, accused of aggravated manslaughter of a child and misrepresentation of a childcare facility resulting in death.
Rentz is scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.