Police say blunt force trauma caused child's death
Child's day-care facility closed until further notice
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer

WOODBRIDGE - An 11-month-old Carteret boy died while in the care of a 64- year-old Iselin woman last week, police said.

Police received a 911 call at 12:54 p.m. on Aug. 23 that an infant, Tahir Francis, was unconscious and having difficulty breathing, police said.

Emergency personnel transported the child to JFK Medical Center in Edison. The infant died later that day while undergoing surgery, police said.

Dr. Thomas Steineke, a neurosurgeon, pronounced the infant dead at 7:34 p.m., police said.

Middlesex County Chief Medical Examiner Andrew Falzone performed an autopsy on Aug. 24. The preliminary autopsy results indicate that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, police said.

The joint investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the Woodbridge Police Department has preliminarily revealed that the injuries to the infant occurred while in the care of Beverly Bryant, who has been a licensed day-care provider with the state of New Jersey since 1995.

The day care center, which has been shut down until further notice, is located in the basement of her home at 25 Carver St. in Iselin, police said.

All parents of Bryant's day care have been notified of the status of the day-care center, police said.

As required by law, the matter has been referred to the Division of Youth and Family Services for their independent investigation, police said.

As of Aug. 27, there were no new details on the case, officials from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said.

Anyone with information about the death of Tahir Francis or who has attended Bryant's day-care center is asked to contact Investigator Michael Daniewicz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at (732) 745-3600 or Detective Michael Ng of the Woodbridge Police Department, (732) 634- 7700.