A week after the tragic death of 4-month-old Waverly Nicole Sourdiff at a home day care in Columbia County, her family gathered Thursday to lay her to rest.
The infant died on June 12 after being found unresponsive at a licensed day care on Fieldstone Drive in Grovetown.
According to a newly-released incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, day care provider Jennifer Hughes told deputies she placed Waverly on her stomach for a nap in the master bedroom around 10:30 a.m. She said she returned to check on the child approximately two hours later and found her unresponsive. Hughes began CPR on the bed and moved the infant downstairs while calling 911. While performing rescue breaths, Hughes reportedly observed blood coming from Waverly’s nose and mouth.
Deputies arrived shortly after 12:30 p.m. and found Hughes administering CPR. First responders took over efforts to revive the infant before transporting her to Doctors Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Investigators with the sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division processed the scene and interviewed Waverly’s parents at the hospital.
The preliminary autopsy found no visible injuries to the infant, according to sheriff’s Maj. Steve Morris. A final ruling on cause and manner of death is pending results from a toxicology report, which is being conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. No timeline has been given for when those results will be available.
The child’s funeral was held Thursday at Quest Church in Grovetown, followed by burial at Lewis Memorial United Methodist Church in Evans.
“Though her time with us was brief, her impact was immeasurable,” Waverly’s obituary read. It described her as a bright and happy baby with “a smile that could melt any heart” and a giggle that brought joy to all around her.
Her mother, Hannah Taylor Sourdiff, shared a brief and heartbreaking message on social media the day after her daughter’s death: “my beautiful baby girl. mama loves you, waverly. my heart will never be the same.”
The case remains under investigation by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
