Vanessa Camila Gomez, a 21-month-old Paterson girl who died Tuesday shortly after becoming unresponsive at the day care she attended.Courtesy Gomez family

The family of a 21-month-old New Jersey girl who died Tuesday after the toddler became unresponsive while at a day care facility in Passaic County has still not received any answers as to what happened to their daughter.

Step by Step Day Care in Clifton has refused to provide investigators surveillance footage from inside the facility from around the time Vanessa Camila Gomez became unconscious, a lawyer representing the family said Friday. Video updates that the facility posts for parents on a mobile app have also been deleted, according to Frank Leddy, a Woodbridge-based attorney.

“We’re trying to help the family because they’re absolutely devastated,” Leddy said. “They’re not going to be able to move on with their grieving process until they get answers. They do what all parents do. You drop your kids off and you don’t think twice about it. And then to never see them again — we’re just trying to comprehend what happened.”

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday confirmed they are investigating Vanessa’s death. A spokeswoman said charges have not been filed, but she declined to comment further.

A man who answered the phone at a number listed for Step by Step on Friday afternoon said the owner was unavailable to comment.

“There’s nothing for her to say,” the man said. “We’re waiting on the investigation.”

The events that led to Vanessa’s death remain unclear Friday afternoon.

Vanessa, who lived in Paterson, had no known health issues and had been attending Step by Step Day Care for about a year, Leddy said.

Tuesday started off as a typical day, with Isabel Gomez dropping off her daughter at 7:05 a.m. before heading to work.

Posts on the Brightwheel app showed Vanessa laid down for a nap at about 12:30 p.m., woke up at 2:30 p.m. and had a wet diaper five minutes later. The second and third posts have since been erased from the app, according to Leddy.

“We don’t know why and by who,” Leddy said.

Isabel Gomez first learned something was wrong when a Step by Step employee called her at 3:12 p.m. to tell her that Vanessa was unresponsive and that paramedics had been called.

Leddy said the employee provided Isabel with inaccurate information, claiming Vanessa never woke up from her nap even though the app showed otherwise. Gomez received another call at 3:30 p.m. saying her daughter was being taken to a hospital. Isabel Gomez arrived at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson minutes later.

Leddy said Vanessa’s parents “are just beside themselves” over the loss of their daughter.

Doctors and emergency workers were unable to answer any of Gomez’s questions about how her daughter died, Leddy said.

An autopsy on Vanessa has been completed but results won’t be available for 12 to 16 weeks, Leddy said.

Vanessa’s mother said her daughter was a typical, loving toddler.

“She was a happy girl — smart,” Gomez told NJ Advance Media. “She liked to play, she liked to talk. She just was sweet.”

Vanessa loved to listen to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the popular song from the Disney film “Encanto,” her mom said.

“I’d say, ‘you want Bruno?’ She’d say yes!,’” Gomez said. “That was her song to go to school. She really loved the school. I didn’t have any complaints about them. They always treated her really good — she never cried (about going there). She was really happy there.”

Gomez said the owner has called her “two or three times” since Vanessa’s death to express condolences and check on her. The women have not discussed what happened Tuesday, according to Gomez.

“She said they loved my daughter,” Gomez said. “She said the workers and mothers want to say goodbye to Vanessa. She said, ‘we just want to be present if permitted.’”

Vanessa Gomez's family still hasn't received an explanation as to how their daughter died on Tuesday, June 7, 2022.Courtesy Gomez family

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.

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