An investigation is underway in Louisiana after a 9-month-old infant was found dead in a car on July 30. The boy had been subjected to intense heat after the parent allegedly forgot to drop him off at daycare before going to work, authorities said.
East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the incident at around 5:45 p.m. local time on July 30 and found the baby dead in the car on arrival.
In a statement to NTD, the Sheriff’s office said the parent accidentally forgot to drop the baby off at daycare and then went to work. The parent went to the daycare center afterward to pick up the boy and realized he had been in the car the whole day.
NTD has reached out East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office for additional information but did not receive a response by publication time.
No further information was provided at this time, including on whether charges will be filed in this case.
“This investigation is ongoing,” the Sheriff’s office said.
On July 30, temperatures in the Baton Rouge area reached well into the high 90s. With humidity factoring in, this would feel over 100 degrees.
Under normal conditions, a car can heat up very quickly by up to 20 degrees, which poses a serious health risk for children as well as animals that are left in the car for even shorter periods of time.
Since 1990, more than 1,000 children have died in hot cars, according to data provided by KidsAndCars.org. The majority of deaths occurred in states with extremely hot temperatures, such as Texas and Florida.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.