ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg woman is facing serious charges nearly a year after a 9-month-old baby died in her care at what authorities say was an unlicensed daycare operating out of her one-bedroom apartment.
According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, 31-year-old Desiree Rentz was arrested on Tuesday and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and misrepresentation of a childcare facility resulting in death.
The investigation began on July 25, 2024, when deputies were called to Rentz’s apartment for reports of an unresponsive infant. The child, who had been left in Rentz’s care, reportedly would not wake up from a nap.
Detectives say Rentz had been caring for more than a dozen children in her apartment while falsely representing herself to parents as a licensed daycare provider. The licenses displayed in her home were for temporary foster care with a capacity of just one child, authorities said.
The Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Children and Families both confirmed that Rentz never held a valid daycare license.
An autopsy by the Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that the infant had been given cough syrup not recommended for children under the age of 4 — without the parents’ knowledge or consent — leading to the child’s death.
Rentz is currently being held in the Pinellas County Jail. She is scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
