A licensed home daycare on Cape Cod has closed its doors following the arrest of a convicted child rapist who had been staying there. The closure of the family daycare, owned by Franciele Nunes in Hyannis, comes after 25 Investigates began looking into the presence of Andre Tiago Lucas, who is reportedly the father of Nunes’s two children.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Tiago Lucas, a Brazilian national, fled to Massachusetts to evade a nine-year prison sentence in his home state of Minas Gerais for the rape of a 13-year-old girl. ICE agents apprehended him in Bourne last October.
Nunes allowed her license from the state Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) to expire in March. Records indicate that Nunes had been licensed for 3 years.
Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis, a vocal proponent of immigration reform in Massachusetts, expressed his alarm upon learning of the situation.
“The idea that someone has been documented, that a Brazilian national fled the country because they were convicted for rape of a 13-year-old and could come to Massachusetts and not only disappear into the fabric of Massachusetts, but actually be living in a home that was a daycare center for young people. That’s terrifying,” Sheriff Evangelidis told 25 Investigates.
EEC records show the agency inspected the home daycare five times. However, the agency stated they found no evidence that Tiago Lucas was staying there during those visits.
This raises questions about the thoroughness of their oversight, according to State Representative Steven Xiarhos, who represents the 5th Barnstable District and has a 40-year background in law enforcement. “You’ve really got to, I think, go out of your way to make sure each place is as safe as it should be. And that’s with proper background checks, looking around when you visit to see if there’s any signs of anything wrong,” Representative Xiarhos told investigative reporter Ted Daniel.
EEC confirmed that they were unaware of Tiago Lucas’s connection to the daycare until four months after his widely publicized arrest. The agency did not disclose how it became aware, but a spokesperson said federal authorities did not alert them.
While the EEC mandates background checks for all individuals residing in or regularly visiting home daycares who are 15 or older, these checks, under current regulations, do not extend to criminal history records from outside the United States. Additionally, immigration status is not a factor considered during these background checks. This gap in the screening process means that even if Nunes had disclosed Tiago Lucas’s presence, his conviction in Brazil would not have been flagged by the state’s current vetting procedures.
“Our children are innocent. And when they go to a daycare, it’s almost like we’re putting their lives in the hands of others,” Representative Xiarhos emphasized. The incident has ignited concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight of home daycares and the limitations of current background check procedures, particularly concerning individuals with criminal records from outside the U.S. and their presence in licensed childcare settings.
EEC does conduct out-of-state checks for individuals who have lived outside of Massachusetts in the past five years, including sex offender, criminal history, and child welfare checks with those states.
Nunes declined to speak to 25 Investigates and called police when our crew attempted to question her.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
