On August 17, 2026, a Tennessee Department of Human Services inspection revealed five transportation-policy violations at Kid University in Cordova, where Winter Jones, 6, was found unresponsive after allegedly being left on a bus for hours. Inspectors said the vehicle lacked a required monitoring device, transportation training records were unavailable, post-trip inspection procedures were not completed, the transportation log was inaccurate, and staff acknowledged they did not walk through the bus to make sure every child had gotten off.

There has not yet been a criminal trial or verdict, and no individual criminal charges have been publicly announced as authorities continue investigating Winter’s death.

Winter, who was autistic and nonverbal, was supposed to be transported from Kid University to Macon Hall Elementary School on August 13. Her father said she apparently never got off the bus, which later returned to the daycare. She was discovered in medical distress shortly after 3 p.m. and later died at the hospital.

Her family says Winter could not verbally call for help, making the required safety checks especially important.