FORT MILL, SC (WBTV) - The investigation into the death of a 19-month-old toddler has lead to the arrest of his babysitter.
The York County Coroner's office has released its findings, listing Chase McCowie's official cause of death as Asphyxiation due to Strangulation.
Investigators in Fort Mill were called in to investigate after Chase died on March 23rd.
At the time, he was in the care of Christina Capobianco, 35, who ran a daycare out of her home.
The investigation found Chase slid down in the car seat as he was sleeping and was caught in the area where the straps meet, choking to death.
Capobianco has not been charged in his death, and investigators say they don't believe she will be. Instead she was cited for Operating an Unlicensed Day Care and turned herself into the sheriff's office.
Warrants say she regularly provided care to other people's children for payment without a license from the Department of Social Services. That is illegal . If convicted the charge carries a fine up to $1,500 or up to six months in jail.
Authorities say there were six children in her Fort Mill home on the day Chase died, three of the children were Capobianco's own.
Investigators explain Capobianco is not charged in Chase's death because they did not determine negligence, calling it an unfortunate accident. They say she has been cooperative in the investigation.
Chase's mother says this was not the outcome they wanted, nor expected. The family's attorney says they want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else.
"You can't change what has happened to this family," says attorney Tommy Pope "But our biggest goal is to guide them through the system, so that it doesn't make it any worse."
The family says Capobianco left Chase in a room by himself and she was on a different floor of the house when he died. Lieutenant Mike Baker says investigators believe the child was left alone for about 30 minutes.
