SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — The owners of a San Jose daycare where two toddlers drowned remain out of jail, and their case could be settled before reaching trial in Santa Clara County.
A preliminary hearing for Nina Fathizadeh, 42, and her mother, Shahin Gheblehshenas, was scheduled to begin on Monday. The hearing was delayed until December, when a judge will decide if prosecutors have enough evidence for the case to stand trial.
Fathizadeh and Gheblehshenas are charged in the deaths of two toddlers who drowned at Happy Happy Daycare, located in Gheblehshenas’ home at 1054 Fleetwood Drive.
The victims, Payton Cobb, 1, of Hollister, and Lillian Jade Hanan, 1, of San Jose , drowned in a backyard pool on Oct. 2, 2023 when no one was watching them, according to investigators. A safety gate around the pool had been left propped open, and the girls were found floating in the deep end of the pool, investigators said.
A 2-year-old boy also fell into the pool and was revived with CPR. Santa Clara County prosecutors charged Fathizadeh and Gheblehshenas with nine counts of child endangerment .