Manteca daycare owner arrested after boy’s death; police allege she was intoxicated
By Cecilio Padilla
An owner of a licensed daycare in Manteca has been arrested after the death of a young child who was in her care.
Manteca police say, back on the afternoon of Oct. 22, first responders were called to the Cherished Years Daycare for a report of an infant not breathing. Officers responded first, encountering an adult at the scene giving the child CPR.
Officers took over CPR until medics arrived, police say. The infant was then rushed to a hospital nearby before being transferred to Oakland Children’s Hospital.
Police say the infant died on Oct. 24 and there were no signs of trauma. The cause of death is pending autopsy results.
Manteca police identified the infant as Christian Olvera, born on May 18, 2025.
The daycare’s owner, identified by Manteca police as Roxanne Helus, was allegedly found intoxicated by officers at the business the day the infant went unresponsive. There were four adults and three other children at the daycare that day; all the other children were unharmed, officers say.
Helus was booked into San Joaquin County Jail, but police say she has since posted bail. Police say she’s facing charges of causing death to a child under 8 and felony child endangerment.
“The first thing I want to do is give prayers to the family,” Sergeant Steven Beermann said. “This is a difficult situation not only for the family but everybody involved, the officers that responded, the dispatchers that took the call.”
Christian was watched at the daycare during the week, according to Manteca police.
Neighbors near the daycare are heartbroken over hearing about the loss of the child. Angel Astorga lives just down the street from the daycare and is sad after hearing the tragic news.
“The parents of the baby…I know they’re devastated, I just feel it,” Astorga said. “To be at work and all of a sudden you hear something like that happen, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
Sergeant Beermann said he was a child abuse detective for almost eight years and that this is a complex investigation that requires a pathologist.
“These are unfortunate, very complex cases,” Sergeant Beermann said. “And so the way this starts is it kind of starts backwards. You can’t determine that any wrongdoing was done until an autopsy determines that.”
Police have notified California Community Care Licensing to help with the investigation into the daycare.
There was a notice on Helus’ door by Order of the Director of the Department of Social Services, stating “closed for business” as of Monday evening at 6 p.m. to protect the health and safety of the children in care.”
