Under investigation

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: July 24, 2008

Imagine if it happened to your child. Imagine leaving him in the care of a private sitter or even a licensed daycare center and then — at the end of the day — finding out he had been lost.

Even if he was found safe and sound, you would still have plenty of questions.

You would want to know how your child was lost. You would want to know when it was discovered that he was missing and why you weren’t notified. You would even want to know who was responsible for the mistake and what — if any — discipline they received.

The community would want to know the answers to those same questions, but people would have another: Which private sitter or day-care center was responsible?

Today, we don’t have any of the answers to those questions in the case of the 3-year-old boy found by employees of Danville Stadium Cinemas around 11 a.m. last Tuesday. Several local day-care centers brought youngsters to the theater that morning to see a movie.

An investigation started almost immediately, said John Moody, director of Danville Social Services. That investigation could take as long as 45 days, at which time state law and regulations will determine “what can and cannot be released,” Moody said.

That may not satisfy people who have questions about how a 3-year-old child could be left to wander alone in a theater, but Moody said, “The case has been consistent with the way all cases are handled. … There’s a process that’s involved here.”

Most of what an agency like Danville Social Services does takes place behind closed doors. Its investigations almost never receive any attention from the public or the news media.

What makes the theater child case different is that this child was left in a public place. That touches on the fears of so many working parents who have to rely on third parties to watch their children during the work day.

Just like Moody’s investigators, the community wants to know if any type of neglect was involved in the theater child case. When the investigation is complete, the public’s questions should be answered.