Updated Jan. 29, 2015, 10:36 a.m.

By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM -- State police in Canton are not commenting on their investigation of a  suitcase filled with personal items, business paperwork, a laptop and hard drives reported missing early this month by the former director of Building Blocks Day Care.

The day care center, located at the rear of Snell’s Office Complex on State Rt. 56, was forced to close Jan. 19 after it became apparent to new Director Marianne Jadlos that the center did not have enough money on hand to pay its bills and its employees.

The situation is complicated by the belief that the suitcase contains some paperwork that might actually include checks and paperwork for reimbursement of expenses that could go some way to resolving the situation.

Former Building Blocks Director Marlene Pickering reported the suitcase missing early in January, according to state police. Attempts to contact Pickering were unsuccessful.

State Trooper Taylor Ellis confirmed Wednesday that the suitcase, found days after it was reported missing and turned over to troopers, contained some personal items, some Building Blocks business-related paperwork, a personal laptop, and one or two Building Blocks portable hard drives.

Trooper Ellis said the complaint was made by Pickering but he would not comment on the ongoing investigation.

The day care center remains closed while it tries to clear the backlog of bills and address some coincidental minor code violations such as missing molding before they can reopen and return the 60 affected children to the care of the center’s roughly one dozen employees.

Current director Jadlos, who began work Jan. 12 and alerted the board to the dilemma, said she and the center’s board are remaining in close contact and will be meeting at least weekly to resolve the situation.

Board president Halimatu Mohammed said Tuesday that “the bottom line is we have bills to pay and until then it will be difficult for us to reopen.”

Neither Jadlos nor Mohammed could guess at how long that would be, and expressed concern for the children and their parents, who have been struggling to find ways to make sure their children are cared for during the work day.