Chesterfield daycare owner not facing charges after toddler wanders from facility

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- After a child wandered off from Fortress of God Childcare in Chesterfield County in February, police said the owner is not facing charges.

According to a spokesperson for the Chesterfield County Police Department, after investigators met with the Chesterfield County Commonwealth's Attorney's office on Tuesday, March 11 regarding the case, they declined to prosecute Monique Ede, the owner of the facility.

This comes after a three-year-old wandered off from the facility and onto a busy road and was then saved by a driver on Feb. 21, 2025. The incident sparked questions and concerns from the community.

Ede previously spoke to 8News about concerns that followed the incident, during which she confirmed the child was not supervised at the time.

According to inspection records from the Department of Social Services, a 17-year-old was alone watching four preschoolers before he left the students unsupervised for about six minutes. That’s when the child wandered outside and into oncoming traffic before being saved by a driver.