Mother: Bus driver left child at closed daycare

LOWELL, Mass. (WHDH) -- A bus driver is accused of dropping a girl off at a closed daycare, leaving the girl alone.

“They dropped me off at a closed daycare,” said 7-year-old Ashley Reynolds.

Ashley said she waited outside her daycare for 45 minutes hoping someone would show up.

“I kept knocking on the door,” said Ashley.

Ashley said at the end of her day she is picked up from school and dropped off at Luz Clarita's Day Care by bus.

“We got home from school. The kids ran to the driveway. They found the little girl, Ashley, from the daycare crying in the yard…because she needed to use the bathroom,” said a neighbor.

“I asked my daycare lady’s neighbor is she could come and see -- if like there were any lights on,” said Ashley.

Ashley went to the neighbor’s house to call her mother.

Ashley’s mother said the buses are run by Acre Family Child Care. Her mother added that she knew the daycare was closed and so did Acre Family.

“If it was myself or my husband, if we would have left my child, at 7, home alone I would been summonsed to court. I would have charges pressed on me. So therefore I think this bus driver should be held to the same accountability as I would,” said Theresa James, Ashley’s mother.

James said she is still waiting to hear from police.

Kathy Reticker, the executive director of Acre Family Child Care, released a statement saying, in part: “...We are conducting an internal investigation. We have contacted both the Department of Early Care and Education and the Department of Child and Family Services…All of our bus drivers have reference and background checks before being hired.”

Acre Family Child Care said there was a second child left unattended.