New England daycare workers spiked children's lunch with melatonin to 'knock kids out'

Workers at a New Hampshire daycare center allegedly spiked children's lunches with melatonin, Manchester police say.

Owner of the establishment, Sally Dreckmann, 52, and her employees - Traci Innie, 51, Kaitlin Filardo, 23, and Jessica Foster, 23 - have been charged with ten counts of endangering the welfare of a child after turning themselves into authorities.

Police determined the children's food was being sprinkled with melatonin without their parent's knowledge or consent, possibly to make them drowsy and easier to deal with.

Too much melatonin can lead to vomiting, diarrhea and even seizures — especially in young children with low tolerance. 

'This is an over-the-counter drug that can be given as a sleep aid, but for it to be given to children without the knowledge or consent of the parents, it's very concerning,' said Heather Hamel, a spokesperson for the Manchester Police Department.

Sally Dreckmann, 52, was the owner of the in-home daycare (pictured left). Traci Innie, 51, worked alongside her (pictured right)

Kaitlin Filardo, 23, (left) and Jessica Foster, 23, (right) were also employees at the daycare. The four individuals have been charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child

The police's investigation began in November 2023 after they received a report of unsafe practices at the daycare at 316 Amory Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.

'It sounded like it was a powder-type substance, maybe pills that were broken up. I don't know exactly, but it was described as it was sprinkled on the food that the children were being served at lunch,' Ms Hamel said. 

No children who ingested the melatonin at the daycare fell ill, police said.

A woman inside the Amory Street home told 7News through a closed door that she had 'no comment.'

She deferred questions to her lawyer, but when 7News contacted the attorney, she said the woman was not her client.

'If it was my child I’d be extremely upset,' Gary Boucher, who lives near the at-home daycare told Boston 25 News. 

'Obviously they’re doing that to knock the kids out, but that’s something that shouldn’t be done at all period.'

The police's investigation began in November 2023 after they received a report of unsafe practices at the daycare at 316 Amory Street in Manchester, New Hampshire

Melatonin in kids can cause agitation, headaches, drowsiness, plus more frequent bed-wetting

It comes as a report from the CDC published in March warned against children ingesting melatonin sleep gummies.

Some 11,000 children were seen in emergency rooms between 2019 and 2022 after ingesting melatonin while unsupervised, the agency found, with gummies involved in almost 5,000 of the cases.

Melatonin in kids can cause agitation, headaches, drowsiness, plus more frequent bed-wetting.

Children could also respond badly to the medication or have an allergic reaction, the National Institutes of Health said.

There could be effects on hormonal development. The agency said: 'Because melatonin is a hormone, it’s possible that melatonin supplements could affect... puberty, menstrual cycles, and overproduction of the hormone prolactin.'

Melatonin is a hormone crucial to the body's sleep-wake cycle, with levels rising in the evening as the sun goes down, signaling it is time to go to bed, and dropping to almost nil during the day.