A Solon, Ohio mother is demanding answers after her 4-year-old son was found walking alone on a busy street — just minutes after she dropped him off at daycare.
The alarming incident has prompted a police investigation into the facility’s safety practices after authorities confirmed staff were unaware the child had left.
According to WKYC 3, Indyia McWhorter dropped off her son, Nova Halim, at the Higher Achievement Center around 11 a.m. Sunday before heading to her nearby workplace, less than half a mile away. Moments later, she was stunned to see her son outside — with a stranger who had found him wandering near Station Street.
“She told me she just saw my son walking toward the freeway,” McWhorter recalled. “My heart was just beating because my son really could have just got hit by a car or anything.”
Even more troubling, McWhorter says the daycare never contacted her about the incident.
“I’m looking at my phone like — the daycare still haven’t called me. I don’t have a missed call or nothing. So do they know that he’s gone? No, they didn’t,” she told reporters.
According to Solon Police, the woman who found Nova immediately called 911 and waited with him at a nearby coffee shop — located next to McWhirter’s workplace — until officers arrived. The police report, later released in full, revealed serious safety concerns at the facility.
When officers arrived, they discovered only one employee — a 17-year-old — supervising five children. The report also notes the back door of the center was unlocked, and three car batteries with exposed terminals were sitting on a window ledge, posing a potential hazard. Additionally, the front door’s magnetic lock disengaged after two to three seconds, making it easy for a child to exit the building unattended.
A daycare manager, who declined to appear on camera, claimed the center was understaffed that morning and that staff had not been informed the child was a “runner” on an individualized education plan (IEP) requiring one-on-one care.
However, McWhirter disputes this, saying her son is not currently on an IEP, though he is being evaluated for ADHD. Notably, the police report does not mention any IEP documentation.
Authorities contacted 696-KIDS and Ohio Child and Youth Services to report unsafe practices at the facility. After reviewing the case, the Solon City Prosecutor’s Office determined that no criminal charges would be filed at this time.
McWhorter says she has yet to receive a formal apology and that the daycare simply told her her son could no longer attend. “That’s my only child,” she said tearfully. “I put him in daycare to help me — not to lose him.”
The Higher Achievement Center has not publicly commented on the police report findings.
