Four-year-old Cole James Clark died in May 2017 in Orange County, Virginia, after finding a handgun at an in-home daycare and shooting himself shortly after being dropped off. Emergency services responded but pronounced the child dead at the scene. The firearm was not a service weapon; it was in the home of a Stafford County Sheriff’s Office recruit.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigated and two people were taken into custody: daycare owner Heather Massey and recruit Nicholas Stoia, who lived at the residence. Massey was charged with five felonies for child abuse and neglect; Stoia faced one felony and four misdemeanors related to the child’s death.

Cole’s parents pushed for changes to prevent similar tragedies. His mother, Kyrin Falcetti, supported proposed legislation known as Cole’s Law, which would require guns in home daycare homes to be unloaded and securely locked, with ammunition stored separately in a locked container. Has anyone with knowledge of home daycare safety or this community seen steps taken since the incident?