2-year-old drowns while in the care of woman’s unlicensed daycare, NC cops say

The suspicious death of a child at a North Carolina home led detectives to discover the site was being operated as an unlicensed child care facility, according to police.

The drowning happened around 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, at a home in Fayetteville’s Preston subdivision, the Fayetteville Police Department in an Oct. 2 news release.

“Emergency Medical Service personnel arrived on scene (and) located an unconscious two-year-old,” police said. “Personnel transported (her) to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center where she succumbed to her injury.”

Details of how the girl drowned were not released.

A preliminary investigation revealed the incident happened as she was being tended to by an “unofficial daycare” operation, police said.

The operator, 51-year-old Melissa Ortiz-Fikes, was arrested Oct. 2 and charged with three counts of providing child care without a license, police said. Bond was set at $500, officials said.

An investigation into the girl’s death is ongoing, police said.

Fayetteville is about a 65-mile drive southwest from Raleigh.

This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 8:40 AM with the headline "2-year-old drowns while in the care of woman’s unlicensed daycare, NC cops say."