Baby-Sitter Charged in Infant Death : Courts: A detective says the PTA president was not licensed to provide child care and gave conflicting accounts of the event to investigators.

A 32-year-old Reseda mother and PTA president who cared for children in her home without a license was charged Friday with murdering an infant who suffered fatal head injuries while in her custody, authorities said.

Debra Cummings, who has a 6-year-old daughter and is president of the Shirley Avenue Elementary School PTA, pleaded not guilty Friday in Van Nuys Municipal Court to charges that she murdered Kevin Young, a 9-month-old infant who she cared for almost daily for six months. She was held without bail.

Kevin died June 16 at Northridge Hospital Medical Center of a fractured skull.

Cummings’ attorney, Joe Ingber, said Cummings was in the kitchen warming a bottle of milk when she heard a loud thud in the living room, where Kevin was playing with another child. She found the baby on the floor, crying hysterically, and the other child said, “baby fall, baby cry,” Ingber said.

Ingber said Cummings--who had been providing daytime child care for two children for about a year and a half to supplement her husband’s income--believes the baby fell and hit the back of his head on a coffee table.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Leonard J. Shaffer said the coroner’s report stated that the child’s injuries were “not consistent” with Cummings’ explanation and that the baby appeared to have suffered a blow from hands or fists.

Detective Larry Dolley also said that Cummings, who was not licensed to provide child care, gave conflicting accounts of the events surrounding the child’s death to investigators. He declined to elaborate. State law requires those providing day care for more than one unrelated child to obtain a license from the state Department of Social Services.

Friends and relatives described Cummings as a creative, nurturing mother, dedicated to children, who has been devastated by the death of a child she considered almost one of her own.

“Anyone who knows Debby knows that this is insanity,” said her husband of eight years, Michael Cummings. “She loves kids.”

Kathy Clebanoff, who worked closely with Cummings on the PTA last year, said that Cummings was a hard worker who poured many hours into the school and also took excellent care of her charges.

“She is loved at our school and there is no way she would hurt a child,” she said.

“I left my children in her care many times, and they love going to Debby’s house,” Clebanoff said. “They paint, or they always come home with some kind of arts or crafts. Or she will bake cookies and let them decorate them.”

Kevin Young’s parents could not be reached for comment.

Kevin’s death followed the March death of 14-month-old Matthew Cooley of Reseda, who lost consciousness while at a park with Cummings, Shaffer said. Matthew’s doctor ruled the cause of death a seizure resulting from an organic medical problem, Shaffer said. The child had suffered seizures twice before while in Cummings’ care.

Police said they have no evidence of foul play in Matthew’s death, but they are now examining the child’s medical records.

“In the course of our investigation we were looking into the baby-sitter’s background and heard about this earlier death,” Lt. William Gaida said. “We have just begun to look into it.”

Times staff writers Michael Connelly and Philipp Gollner also contributed to this report.