Two elderly women who ran an in-home child care operation in Antioch were arrested on May 13 and May 14, 2026, after at least two infants were treated for bite marks and other injuries, according to police. Parents brought the children to TriStar Centennial Children’s Hospital on April 14, where medical staff reported finding human bite marks, bruises, and scratches. Authorities say the operation, called Grandnanny’s Daycare and run out of a Piccadilly Row home, had previously been ordered to stop because of code violations. The arrests have stirred fresh concern about unlicensed home day care in Davidson County.
According to WSMV, Metro Nashville detectives were notified after a 5-month-old boy was taken to TriStar Centennial and found to have human bite marks, scratches on the back of his leg, and a swollen foot. The same affidavit described a separate 3-month-old girl who had multiple bruises on her face, contusions on her head, scratch marks on her legs, and bite marks on her stomach. Officers noted that a dog lives at the home and that investigators believe the animal may have caused some of the injuries.
The two operators were identified in the affidavits as 72-year-old Joyce Hill and 66-year-old Sadonia Bolling. Both face two counts of child neglect and two counts of operating a child care agency without a license, per WSMV. Hill was arrested on May 13 and bonded out; Bolling was arrested on May 14. Both are scheduled to appear in court on July 17, 2026. Investigators also found that Grandnanny’s had “been shut down for ‘violation of codes’ in May 2025,” and that the Tennessee Department of Human Services again ordered the location to cease operations.
Charges and state law
Operating a child care agency without a required license is a criminal offense in Tennessee, a Class A misdemeanor, and the law allows prosecutors to treat each day of illegal operation as a separate violation, according to the state code. See Tennessee Code. Metro authorities have in the past pursued far heavier charges in cases tied to unlicensed care; the Metro Police Department previously announced an indictment last year after a child died at an unlicensed daycare, underscoring the stakes when infants are harmed while in someone else’s care, per Metro Nashville Police.
Where this fits locally
The Tennessee legislature’s 2025 sunset audit of the Department of Human Services notes that more than 2,000 licensed agencies serve nearly 200,000 children statewide, but that “illegal operators” unregulated providers working without authorization continue to present safety risks, and that the department investigates complaints and can pursue injunctions to stop illegal operations, per the audit report. The audit also reports that legally unlicensed or license exempt providers number in the hundreds and that the department cannot precisely estimate how many children those providers serve; read the 2025 DHS sunset audit for details.
How to report concerns
If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. Nonemergency reports of possible child abuse should go to the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services central intake at 18772370004 or online, according to Tennessee DCS. To report suspected licensing violations or illegal child care operations, Tennessee DHS provides a Child and Adult Care Complaint Hotline at 18004628261 and an email address for tips, per the agency’s childcare resources page at Tennessee DHS.
