The owners of a California home day care were arrested after 2 children drown in backyard pool

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The mother-and-daughter owners of a California home day care were arrested after two children drowned in the backyard pool earlier this month, authorities said.

The two 1-year-olds died Oct. 2 while at Happy Happy Daycare in the Almaden neighborhood of San Jose, police said. A third child who was rescued from the pool on the same day suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to investigators.

The business owners, a 64-year-old woman and her 41-year-old daughter, surrendered to San Jose police on Friday after arrest warrants were issued, officials said. They could face charges including neglect of children resulting in death and neglect resulting in injuries.

Calls to a phone number listed for the day care went unanswered Sunday.

The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office identified the two children who died as 1-year-old Payton Cobb of Hollister and 1-year-old Lillian Hanan of San Jose.

Happy Happy Daycare had been cited for staffing and monitoring violations by California licensing officials, who initially raised separate concerns about the potential for children to access the backyard pool, according to state records obtained by NBC Bay Area.

The defendants were scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 6.