Staff photo by Don Himsel Police say a 15-moth-old baby was found unconscious Wednesday afternoon at 131 Ash St. Officers said the child died at the hospital.

NASHUA – Police say a 15-month-old child has died after he was removed from an Ash Street home that may have been operating as an unlicensed day care Wednesday afternoon.

Officers with the Nashua

Police Department responded

to 131 Ash St. shortly after

2:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 for reports of an infant male who was unconscious and not breathing. Upon arrival, emergency crews began CPR and transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An investigation is ongoing, said NPD Lt. Kerry Baxter. She said no charges have been filed in the case as of Thursday afternoon, and the apartment is not considered a crime scene in regards to the death of the child.

Neighbors said Thursday the family who owns the house have been running an illegal day care for several years, a suspicion that is currently under investigation by the police department.

Wayne Andrews, a former Nashua fire chief who lives next door, said he complained until the state shut down the day care a few years ago. The couple who operated the business, however, soon started back up again, he added.

“When I called the state again they said ‘What do you expect us to do, stand outside and count the kids?'” Andrews said.

Nashua property records indicate the home is owned by Shane Lavalley. He and his wife, Erica Lavalley, have lived in the home for about 10 years, according to neighbors.

Andrews said he was first able to get the state to shut down the day care after reportedly seeing children playing out back in a wading pool while the woman who was supposed to be watching them was sleeping.

Despite being closed down, the family started the day care again, and neighbors say about a half a dozen children were dropped off every morning.

One woman who pulled her child out of the home’s illegal day care said on the Telegraph’s Facebook page Thursday the children were being neglected.

Ashley Cook left the comments on Facebook, though she did not respond to a request to be interviewed. Cook said her child was allowed to walk out the front door of the house on two occasions because of the lack of supervision.

“They just sat and watched TV all day,” Cook wrote.

The two-story home looks dilapidated from the outside, with peeling paint and broken window screens. Christmas lights have been left on the exterior of the house for several years, according to neighbors.

Another neighbor said she knew for years something terrible would happen because of the illegal day care.The woman asked her name not be used for the story.

“I was afraid something was going to happen because they were so irresponsible,” she said.

The woman said the family have been “horrific” neighbors for years, leaving broken lawnmowers and snowblowers in the yard and letting the condition of the home deteriorate. On Wednesday afternoon she saw police take the baby out of the home.

“He was very, very pale and very, very white,” she said.

Police say it’s not clear what happened to the boy, and an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause and manner of death.

Several other children were in the apartment at the time of the call and officers report the parents for those children were contacted and arrangements were made to have them checked out at a medical facilities as a precaution. All of those children were medically cleared.

Nashua police confirmed in a press release they are investigating if the Ash Street residence was operating as an unlicensed day care facility. Officers have been in contact with the state’s Child Care Licensing Unit.

The family of the deceased are not affiliated with the Ash Street unit.

Members of the Lavalley family declined to comment Thursday.

No one was home most of the day, but family members did come to the house late afternoon before speeding away in their car, declining to answer questions from several media outlets.

Damien Fisher can be reached at 594-1245 or dfisher@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_DF. Don Himsel can be reached at 594-1249,

dhimsel@nashuatelegraph.com, or

@Telegraph_DonH.