Toddler dies after she’s found locked in SUV with mom in 104-degree heat, CA cops say
A 3-year-old girl died after she was found locked in an “overheated” SUV with her mother, California police say.
A family member discovered the toddler and her mother in the parked SUV the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 6, when it was about 104 degrees outside, the Anaheim Police Department said in a Sept. 9 news release.
When officers responded, they found the unconscious girl, who had been taken out of the SUV by a family member, according to police.
Officers also found the girl’s unconscious mother inside the SUV, police said.
Both were taken to a hospital, where the toddler was later pronounced dead, according to police.
Preliminarily, police said the toddler died from heatstroke but an autopsy report is pending.
After getting a search warrant for the SUV, officers found “several empty alcohol bottles inside,” police said.
Detectives interviewed the mother, Sandra Hernandez, 41, at the hospital, and once she was medically cleared, she was arrested on involuntary manslaughter and child neglect charges, police said.
An investigation is going, according to police.
Hot car deaths
More than 950 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“About 40 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car,” officials said. “That’s about one child every 10 days killed in a hot car.”
Hot car deaths are most common in the summer, but they can happen at any time, according to the administration. The first “vehicular heatstroke” of the year typically happens in March.
“Leaving a window open is not enough - temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive and if not, immediately call 911.
This story was originally published September 10, 2024 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Toddler dies after she’s found locked in SUV with mom in 104-degree heat, CA cops say."
