EXCLUSIVE: Licensed childcare provider arrested for reckless endangerment

Updated March 6

One of only three locally listed Portuguese-speaking daycare centers on the Island has lost its license, and The Times has learned that the provider is facing seven criminal charges of child endangerment after an alleged incident, last October. 

The provider, Deir Freitas Cogill, allegedly left children alone, one in a locked car and six in her home, on Oct. 21. She now faces seven separate charges of reckless endangerment of a child. 

Cogill, 61, is believed by local officials to be a new provider who mainly catered to Brazilian families, at a time when new parents across the Vineyard are extremely strained for childcare, especially within the Island’s immigrant communities. 

The incident was first flagged by police officials only months after the death of Frank (“Frankie”) Rodenbaugh, a 2-year-old who was allegedly left in a car by his babysitter, Aimee Cotton, last March. Cotton’s case is in process in superior court in Edgartown, where she faces charges of manslaughter and reckless endangerment of a child. Cotton was not a licensed provider. 

The case against Cogill, which will be continuing in court proceedings later this month, has raised profound concerns in the community of organizations that support childcare on the Island. 

Joanne Lambert, the Martha’s Vineyard Family Child Care Network coordinator, in a statement to The Times, said, “The licensing regulations are meant to provide a safety net that families can trust; in this case that trust was broken.” 

Longtime providers have also spoken up about new revelations around this ongoing case. “A licensed provider should have had enough background to know safety,” said Donna Creighton of Children’s Haven Family Preschool, which she has run out of her home for the past 36 years. 

Creighton said she was shocked that a licensed provider had allegedly endangered children, and cited the extensive and necessary training that home-care hopefuls complete. “I would like people to know that there are trustworthy providers,” she added. 

A 2025 data collection by MVYouth, an Island grant organization, outlined an unmet need for infant and toddler care on the Island, with only 11 percent of the infant population and 33 percent of toddlers served by licensed providers. MVYouth found children ages 3 to 5 to be more adequately accounted for, with 83 percent in the care of a provider. There’s a robust network of public schools in each town for children ages 5 and above. 

Due to these considerations, new parents are advised to enter waitlists as soon as they find out they’re pregnant. Before public school, the cost for care is substantial. 

Some families turn to babysitters when they can’t find a care center; some decide that the cost is so high that it would be more viable for one parent to quit working and stay home with the child; and many are relieved when they receive a call that their child has moved up on a waitlist and can finally be cared for by a professional. 

The training for a childcare license is, according to local officials, rigorous, with random home checks. A background check and valid ID are required for licensure. Documents for licensure don’t appear to require citizenship, and Cogill’s immigration status is unknown. 

Since her arrest on Oct. 21, Cogill seems to be hard to find. Her childcare license was pulled from a state portal that lists all providers, along with past reports, such as mandatory home checks by state officials and documents. She moved out of the space where she operated her daycare, 48 West Tisbury Road in Edgartown, and the building was sold shortly afterward. Data from MVYouth doesn’t include Cogill’s home daycare, or the effect of its closing.

At her former daycare, colorful stickers that spell out “All Are Welcome” remain stuck to a door inside. Now that door opens to a single apartment. It’s rented out to a person who said they had no knowledge of Cogill, or a former daycare. The tenant’s landlord said he purchased the property on Jan. 13. 

“Someone told me it was a daycare, and I saw the paintings on the door,” the current owner of the property, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

The incident with Cogill occurred on Oct. 21 of last year, when the Edgartown School resource officer, Det. Zachary Townes, was made aware of a small child left alone in a parked car in the school lot. In his account of the incident, which was obtained by The Times, Townes said the child had been in the backseat of a locked car for nearly 25 minutes. Cogill’s home daycare was located just a block away from the Edgartown School. 

“I attempted to open the car door to check on the child, but all doors were locked, and the windows were up. I attempted to speak with the child through the door, but was unsuccessful. The child appeared upset, and looked as though she may start crying,” he wrote in the report in October. 

While he was standing by the vehicle, Townes was approached by the child’s mother, who was not named. She “looked panicked,” he wrote, and said she was at the school to pick up her child from her daycare provider, Cogill. At this point, Cogill herself approached the vehicle, with eight other children in tow, and stated she had only been away from the car for five minutes. Townes spoke with Cogill through the use of a translator app. 

The mother of the child in the car asked to speak with Cogill alone, and after the two had a brief conversation, the mother left the scene with her child.

Cogill then told Townes that she brought all the children to the nearby playground, but said she left the young girl in the car because the girl was “stubborn.” 

A short time later, Townes returned to the vehicle with Det. John Dacey, and saw Cogill walking toward her car with two children. She told the detectives that the other children had been picked up by their parents, but before she could leave, one of the children with her asked to speak with Townes privately. 

The child told the detective that there were more children in Cogill’s house, alone and unsupervised, and that Cogill had told him not to tell the police anything. Townes and Dacey then walked with Cogill back to her home, where they found six children between the ages of 5 and 8 years old in a nearly empty apartment. 

The case against Cogill, now under review in Edgartown District Court, is based on charges filed by the Edgartown Police Department. Although multiple local children and parents were allegedly involved, it is not apparent to The Times that any of them are pressing separate charges, and none of their names were listed on any reports. 

Cogill was arrested after the incident on seven counts of reckless endangerment to a child, and was arraigned on Oct. 24. She pleaded not guilty to the charges, and was held on $300 cash bail, which she paid. She was then released with an order of no contact with children under 10, aside from her own children. Cogill could not be immediately reached by The Times. 

Cogill attended a pretrial hearing on Dec. 19. The next court date, which is listed as a motion to dismiss, is scheduled for March 27. 

The Times was directed to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office by Edgartown Police, who have stated that they can’t comment on the case, as it is ongoing and under investigation. The defense attorney for Cogill declined to comment. 

Cogill’s childcare profile is still visible on two non-state-sponsored sites, called Upwards and Winnie, that show various care providers in an area. However, her license and contact information has been deleted from the state childcare portal. After the incident in October, she voluntarily alerted the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) about what happened, and gave up her license. 

A spokesperson from the state Department of Early Education and Care said while they were unable to comment on Cogill’s case, they have provisions in place in the state to ensure children have adequate care, such as expanded funding opportunities and sponsorship. 

“We recognize that certain regions face greater challenges in maintaining an adequate supply of care, and remain committed to addressing those gaps,” the spokesperson said.

But the gap on the Island remains substantial. The state limit is that one provider can care for six children between the age of 15 months and 5 years. Only three infants can be cared for at a time by one provider. 

MVYouth estimates that about 150 babies are born each year on the Island. With eight available home-care providers, meaning the child is cared for at the licensed individual’s home (Cogill was in this category), and nine center-based programs, such as Vineyard Montessori, Plum Hill, and Rainbow Place Preschool, many children don’t get into programs at all, or remain on waitlists for years, sometimes even until they age out. 

However, headway is being made. Lindsey Scott, the executive director of MVYouth, told The Times last spring, “MVYouth has committed $3.2 million to the expansion of six programs. Once built, roughly 150 new childcare spaces will have been added.”

Five years ago, Family Child Care Network was established to provide support to these licensed programs and advocate for more resources. It put together a local online portal, through Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, of all licensed programs. Lambert, who runs the program, said the members of the childcare network are invested in children and family-care improvement. 

Since the program was started, more centers have popped up, but the amount of facilities have mostly balanced out, because other providers have retired. Vineyard Montessori is currently funding an expansion of its infant-care program through fundraising, and has a plan in place for the project, and Martha’s Vineyard Community Services expanded its childcare space and the ages it serves in 2021. 

This story includes reporting from MVTimes Reporter Nicholas Vukota.

Editor’s note: Updated to reflect that the Family Child Care Network supports programs, but doesn’t regulate them.