Parents of 2-year-old who lost part of his finger at daycare want answers

FARMVILLE, N.C. (WITN/Gray News) - The parents of a 2-year-old North Carolina boy are demanding answers after he lost part of his finger at daycare in what staff say was an accident.

Tonishia Anthony says she dropped her 2-year-old son, Se’awn Sutton, off at Rising Stars of Farmville last Tuesday. It seemed like any other day until hours later, she got a message on the daycare’s app asking her to return because her son had hurt his finger, WITN reports.

“When I got there, his hand was wrapped in tissue and tape. His teacher took it off, and that’s when I saw,” Anthony said. “I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was that bad until I took him to the emergency room.”

Gruesome pictures posted on Facebook by Anthony show Se’awn in the hospital with part of his ring finger missing. His parents were told by the daycare staff the injury was from his finger being accidentally shut in a door.

“I didn’t take heed that it was that bad until I seen it myself,” said Shawn Sutton, Se’awn’s father. “Pictures don’t describe how bad it was.”

According to Anthony, the remainder of the finger was put in a bag of water by the daycare, and despite numerous attempts from surgeons to re-attach the finger, they had no luck.

“He doesn’t have that part of his finger anymore,” Anthony said.

Sutton says it was a tough scene to watch.

“Just to hear your child crying, begging, saying, ‘Come get me, pick me up, help me,’ and you can’t do anything,” he said. “Four to five nurses holding him down. It’s just a procedure he has to go through. You just kind of have to fight it, but it is probably the hardest thing you can hear.”

Se’awn parents are now searching for answers as the 2-year-old’s recovery continues.

“Our child’s accident could have been prevented,” Sutton said.

Anthony says Se’awn has received many gifts and toys from across the United States, and the family now has a GoFundMe page for his recovery.

“He doesn’t understand what happened, so he’ll say, ‘It hit me’ and point to his hand. That’s his way of telling me it hurts,” Anthony said.

The state Department of Health and Human Services says it is aware of the situation and is considering its next steps.

The daycare sent WITN the following statement Monday night:

“As a family-oriented child care center committed to providing quality services, Rising Stars of Farmville regrets that a toddler in its care suffered injury to a finger last week and are hopeful the child experiences a speedy recovery. We are cooperating with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which is investigating the matter. As an organization we remain committed to providing high-level care services and serving our community in the best way possible.”