Philip and Jennifer Elgersma put their trust on a woman named Rochelle Sapp to take care of their 3-year-old daughter Autumn when they left her at the daycare center that Ms Sapp runs at her own home in eastern Orange City. Unfortunately, the little girl suffered head injuries while under Ms Sapp's care and died two days later in the Sanford Children's Hospital due to fractured skull and brain trauma.

The 33-year-old daycare owner initially claimed that she called Autumn's mother to inform her about her daughter's accident where Autumn fell down the stairs. "Shortly after 9:00am on Tuesday, October 29, a criminal affidavit states Sapp called Jennifer Elgersma and told her that Autumn had fallen down the stairs. The mother took Autumn from the home and brought her to the Orange City hospital where she was diagnosed with a head injury," the KTIV report reads.

However, Orange City Police Chief Jim Pottebaum revealed that the 33-year-old daycare owner later on confessed about throwing Autumn Elgersma to the ground after the little girl refused to take her coat off. Rochelle Sapp has been already charged with "willful injury and child endangerment resulting in serious injury."

Police Chief Pottebaum claims the initial charges will now be changed because of Autumn's death. The doctors claimed as well that the "injuries were inconsistent with a child falling on a staircase."

Grieving parents Philip and Jennifer has released a statement on Friday, November 1, declaring that their family was deeply saddened with the untimely passing away of their little girl. The statement reads: "Autumn was a joy in our lives and we are blessed to have called her ours. We take comfort in the fact that she is now with her Savior, Jesus Christ. Our family is deeply saddened by the loss of our little girl. The prayers offered by others on our behalf are giving us the strength to get though this very difficult time. We ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for our family."

In the Sioux City Journal, neighbors remember little Autumn Elgersma as the "bubbly little girl who loved to be around people." The Elgersma's next-door neighbor Bev Rohrs shared: "She was just fun to be around, and we're going to miss her a lot. She was just adorable, cute as a bug in a rug."

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