On the morning of March 10, Missy Williams said her baby boy was smiling.
Grant Simmons was his normal, happy self that morning, Missy said. She snapped a photo of him smiling and sent it to his father, Brad Simmons, who was out of town for work — a moment that would take on new meaning hours later.
“He was always smiling,” Missy said. “He could light up a room the second you walked in with him.”
A day that changed everything
Hours later, everything changed.
Missy was working her shift as a cashier at BellStores in East Canton when she received a text message at 1:23 p.m. saying Grant had soaked through his diaper and didn’t have any extra clothes.
Then came the call she will never forget.
“At 1:39, she called me screaming,” Missy said. “She said, ‘He’s not breathing.’”
Missy rushed to the home on Market Street. By the time she arrived, emergency crews were already there, performing CPR.
“They were doing everything they could,” she said. “Everything.”
Grant was transported to Aultman Hospital in Canton, where he was later pronounced dead. He would have turned 8 months old the following day.
‘He lit up a room’
“He was perfect,” Missy said. “There was nothing wrong with him.”
Missy said Grant had been diagnosed with influenza B and an ear infection a few weeks before his death but had recovered.
She said she made sure he was healthy before returning him to the babysitter.
“I wouldn’t have taken him back if I didn’t think he was okay,” she said.
Missy said she had known the babysitter’s family for years and trusted the arrangement.
Now, she is left with heartbreak, confusion and unanswered questions.
“I don’t understand how this happened,” she said. “I just don’t.”
Missy said Grant brought joy to everyone around him.
“He loved people,” she said. “He loved attention. If you talked to him, he’d just smile right at you.”
Even at just 8 months old, she said, his personality was already shining through.
“He was so full of life,” she said. “He made everyone happy.”
Legal action filed, daycare shut down
In the days following Grant’s death, the Village of East Canton and the State of Ohio filed a civil complaint seeking to shut down what officials allege was an unlicensed daycare operating out of the home.
The complaint names Alexander J. DiMarzio and Melanie M. DiMarzio and alleges multiple violations of Ohio childcare laws and local zoning regulations.
According to court documents, investigators believe Melanie DiMarzio was caring for multiple children — sometimes between five and 10 per day — without proper licensing, certification or safety protocols.
Officials also allege the operation exceeded legal limits for unlicensed childcare providers and lacked required zoning approval.
On March 20, a Stark County judge granted a temporary restraining order, immediately prohibiting the couple from providing childcare services anywhere in the county.
The court found the village demonstrated a strong likelihood of success in the case and that allowing the operation to continue could pose a risk to public safety.
A hearing on a preliminary injunction is scheduled for April 13.
A mother’s grief — and strength
Missy said she did not push for the legal action but supports the decision to shut the operation down.
“I didn’t even know they were going to do that,” she said. “But I agree with it.”
She said her focus now is on grieving her son and holding onto the memories of who he was.
“He was so happy. He loved everybody,” she said. “Everybody loved him.”
Missy, who said she is five years sober, is leaning on her strength and her family to get through the days ahead.
Still, the loss is overwhelming.
“There are no words for this,” she said.
No criminal charges have been announced, and the investigation into Grant’s death remains ongoing.
