The tragic death of an 11-year old Haitian girl, a student at an expensive private school in Santiago, has become a pandora box. After the mother of the child took her case to the media having met with delays in getting the story straight from the school, the Instituto de Desarrollo Integral Leonardo Da Vinci, and the justice department authorities in Santiago, the headlines moved the case somewhat. The mother was then able to be received by Attorney General Yenni Berenice Reynoso in Santo Domingo, and Vice President Raquel Pena, who is from Santiago, motivated the authorities to find out what was not being told.
TV journalist Nuria Piera says that her investigations shared observations from parents that said this is not the first time the school authorities act with overzealousness to protect the students. Many of those who study at the school are offspring of persons of influence. Piera said that the minimum tuition at the school was RD$22,000 a month.
The 11-year old died on 14 November 2025 when visiting the Hacienda Los Caballos in Gurabo on the outskirts of Santiago for a school outing. The mother was called and told her daughter was not feeling well and to go to the Hacienda. Piera explained that when she arrived she had to wait four hours and was told her daughter had drowned in one of the pools of the Hacienda. Nevertheless, she was not given the details on what had happened. Nor was she given access to the videos showing what had actually happened, neither was she received by the school authorities. When she visited the prosecutor office in Santiago, her demand against the school for more information on what had happened was not received.
Nuria Piera explains that media pressure was incidental in the mother being received by Attorney General on 28 November 2025, two weeks after the unexplained death of her daughter. In the 6 December 2025 program on the tragedy, Piera speculated this appeared to be a case of the authorities in complicity with the school to protect persons with influence.
The preliminary investigations by the Attorney General Office are serious enough for the arrest of four members of the Leonardo Da Vinci School in connection with the involuntary homicide of 11-year-old Stephora Anne-Mircie Joseph, who drowned during a school trip. The PGR has not yet released details of what happened.
The arrested are:
• Yris del Carmen Reyes Adames, Administrative Director
• Gisela González, General Coordinator and Advisory Board Consultant
• Francisca Josefina Tavarez Vélez, Counselor
• Vilma Altagracia Vargas Morel, Secondary Level Coordinator
The Public Ministry’s investigation, led by Deputy Prosecutor Wilson Camacho and Child Prosecutor Olga Diná Llaverías, found evidence pointing to extreme negligence in the organization and supervision of the trip.
According to the Public Ministry, organizers transported 87 children with only three adult caregivers, failing to implement crucial safety measures. Specific findings include:
• Failure to assess swimming ability: Parents or guardians were not asked if the children knew how to swim.
• Lack of safety equipment: The school did not bring life jackets or require students to wear them, despite the depth of the ranch’s pools.
• Negligent supervision: Video evidence allegedly shows extreme negligence on the part of the caregivers responsible for the deceased, as well as the individuals who organized the outing.
Following the incident, the Public Ministry has requested a joint inspection of the Leonardo Da Vinci School by the Ministry of Education to identify any practices that violate the best interests of the children.
Reports are that the school closed early for the Christmas holidays. The media says that the Hacienda Los Caballos was ordered to close to the public.
Stephora Anne-Mircie Joseph lived with her mother in Santiago moving here four years ago when the violence worsened in Haiti. Her father lives in the United States.
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Attorney General Office
El Nacional
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Nuria Piera
8 December 2025