A woman named Alexandra Coffey was recently sued in connection with the death of 16-month-old Maddy Mitchell, which occurred in May 2025. At the time, Coffey worked at Creative Beginnings Daycare in Lenoir, North Carolina, and her actions allegedly led to the infant’s death. She was charged with involuntary manslaughter, and the Mitchell family has now filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against her.
The incident occurred during Maddy’s first day at the daycare. According to reports, Coffey allegedly forced the toddler face-down onto a sleeping mat to make her take a nap. When the child continued to resist, Coffey reportedly placed a blanket over her head and lay on top of her until she stopped struggling.
The lawsuit claims the child was left suffocated for three hours and reportedly died from smothering and compression asphyxia. On social media, Coffey has been accused of scrolling through her phone while the toddler struggled, without checking on her.
After the incident, Creative Beginnings Daycare was shut down following a license suspension by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. In the ongoing civil lawsuit, the former daycare worker is accused of negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, and willful and wanton misconduct in connection with Mitchell’s death, and could be required to pay damages.
North Carolina Woman Who Let Baby Asphyxiate Sparks Outrage Online
The case has sparked outrage on social media, with many describing the woman’s actions as “evil and rotten to the core.” Users were appalled by the apparent disregard for the child’s well-being. Some also criticized the lack of accountability for the North Carolina daycare worker, with one person stating, “This isn’t negligence. It’s monstrous.”
Others criticized Creative Beginnings Daycare for hiring Coffey in the first place. One social media user wrote, “Lord, who are they employing? Are they doing any background checks? How evil.” Others added that “daycare centers are full of employees who can’t stand children and are only looking for a paycheck,” suggesting this was the case here.
As social media users call for stricter screening processes in professions like daycare, Americans can only hope that effective measures are implemented to prevent tragedies like this from happening again.
