Questions remain in Lenoir infant daycare death

LENOIR, NC – A baby who died at a Lenoir daycare facility was laid to rest Tuesday afternoon. Sixteen month old Madolyn “Maddy” Mitchell died at Creative Beginnings daycare back on May 19th.

Dozens of loved ones and community members gathered at WaterLife Church for her funeral where Maddy’s parents spoke to the crowd about their baby girl.

“She filled our lives with nothing but love and joy and she touched the lives of everyone she encountered. She loved everyone so much except Santa,” Angel Blankenship, Maddy’s mother said.

The baby girl was born on Christmas 2023 died and May 19th 2025 at Creative Beginnings daycare in Lenoir where it was her first day at the facility. Community members who didn’t know the child showed up to the funeral.

“There’s really nothing that you can do or say that’s going to ease the pain but hopefully just knowing that people care you know will somehow give them some small bit of comfort,” family friend, Eleanor Michaux said.

Twenty-nine year old daycare worker Alexandra Coffey is charged with involuntary manslaughter in Maddy’s death. There are still a lot of questions about what happened.

“The only one who knows the answers to those questions are God and that daycare…They’re the only ones that can answer those questions for us,” Peggy Geter, Pastor at St John’s Wholeness Church in Newton said.

Community members want the family to know they support them in the push for justice.

“I think it’s important for all of us. Anyone who has to leave a child in the care of someone else needs to be able to be confident that when you drop your baby off in the morning you’re going to be able to pick them up later that day and they’ll be okay,” Michaux said.

While the family grieves and prays for answers, they’re holding on to the memories made in Maddy’s short time on earth.

“We want to thank you for coming out to celebrate my baby girls life,” Jovon Mitchell, Maddy’s father said.

WCCB reached out to Lenoir police for an update on the investigation. A crime analyst declined an on camera interview and referred us to press releases with previously reported information.

The state of North Carolina suspended the operating license at Creative Beginnings pending the results of the investigation.