Unlicensed Daycare Operator Charged With Murder Of Five-Month-Old Boy

Patricia Wick

Photo: Stutsman County Jail

A North Dakota woman has been charged with killing a five-month-old boy in her care. On September 26, 2022, paramedics were called to an unlicensed daycare center in Carrington that was allegedly operated by Patricia Wick, 48, because one of the children was unresponsive.

The boy was airlifted to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. According to KVLY, doctors said that the infant "clearly suffered a traumatic head injury and subsequently had a cardiac arrest."

Wick told investigators that "she was frustrated" with the boy because he woke up early from his nap and woke up another child. She said that she wrapped him in a blanket and laid him down in the living room while she went to help another kid in the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she said that she heard the boy coughing, and when she checked on him, he was vomiting. She then called 911 and the boy's mother.

After a four-month investigation, prosecutors filed charges of murder, child abuse, and operating a daycare without a license against Wick. She is being held at Stutsman County Jail on a $500,000 bond.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content