Sheriff: 1-Year-Old Girl Found Dead In Texas Was Left In Hot Car For Hours
HARRIS COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM/CNN) — Investigators in Texas say a 1-year-old girl is dead after she was accidentally left in a hot car all day.
Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office were called to a home in the Alief area, within the city limits of Houston, during the evening on September 8.
Investigators said the family told them a mother of three young children -- ages five, three and one -- took the older children to a nearby daycare to drop them off. But for some reason, the 1-year-old was left in her car seat.
Deputies said the mother returned home and it wasn't until she went to pick up the other two children Thursday afternoon that she realized the youngest child had never even dropped off.
A daycare worker went with the mother back to the home where the little girl was found in the back seat of the car. Deputies said her body was on the floorboard. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
The district attorney's office will determine if the mother will face charges.
Texas leads the nation in hot car deaths.
Here are three things parents can do to make sure they don't forget a child in the backseat:
- Put an item in the back seat with the child -- like a phone, wallet or jacket.
- Have a visual reminder in the front seat -- perhaps a child's toy or pacifier.
- Keep all vehicles locked at home and the keys out of reach.
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