San Jose Daycare Co-Owner Convicted in Toddler Drowning Deaths
The co-owner of a San Jose daycare has been found guilty of felony child endangerment following the 2023 drowning deaths of two toddlers in her care. A jury convicted Shanin Gheblehshenas, 67, on three counts Tuesday after just two hours of deliberation, following a three-week trial.
Her daughter and co-owner, Nina Fathizadeh, 43, had previously pleaded guilty in connection with the same deaths. Both women face more than 10 years in prison and are scheduled to be sentenced on May 22.
What Happened
The drownings occurred on Oct. 2, 2023, at Happy Happy Daycare, an unlicensed operation being run out of Gheblehshenas' home in the Almaden Valley area of South San Jose.
That morning, Gheblehshenas left the premises to travel to a second unlicensed daycare she operated out of her daughter's home, leaving the children at Happy Happy Daycare under Fathizadeh's sole supervision. A daycare worker had also called in sick that day.
While making breakfast, Fathizadeh left one child in a highchair and allowed three other children — all under two years old — to go unsupervised into a rear patio play area. Minutes later, she found one child floating in the pool. As she attempted CPR, her brother discovered two more toddlers in the pool, both unconscious.
Two girls, aged 16 and 18 months, were later pronounced dead from drowning. A third child was critically injured. Fathizadeh called 911 around 9 a.m. Investigators learned that four children were at the daycare at the time of the incident, with another on the way.
How It Happened
Prosecutors said an investigation found the gate to the pool had been left propped open, allowing the toddlers to access the water. Neither owner had checked the gate before the children were let outside.
"These defendants had the ultimate responsibility to care for these little ones and they criminally failed," Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "These small children tragically paid for this inattention and incompetence with their lives."
The Sentences They Face
Gheblehshenas was convicted on three counts of felony child endangerment. Fathizadeh, who pleaded guilty earlier this year, faces additional prison time beyond the charges related to the drowning deaths.
Prosecutors said Fathizadeh also faces nine years for a separate reckless driving charge stemming from a field trip during which she drove seven unsecured toddlers from the daycare.
Both women will be sentenced on May 22.
"We can't bring them back," Rosen said. "All we can do is pray for their families to find some peace in the knowledge that there will be accountability."
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