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Conn. toddler dies after being left alone in hot car

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. - A 15-month-old Connecticut child was found dead Monday night after being left in a hot car, CBS affiliate WFSB reported.

Ridgefield police say the toddler was left in the car for an undetermined amount of time and no further information was available about the exact location of the incident, explaining only that the cause of death remains under investigation. The child's identity has not been released.

No word on any expected charges, but a press conference was set for Tuesday afternoon, police said.

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The child's death follows two other incidents in Connecticut where small children in two separate incidents were left in hot cars while their parents were grocery shopping. Those parents were arrested and are facing criminal charges.

News of this death also comes as more details become available in a similar incident in South Carolina involving a 3-year-old boy in which police there say the child climbed into a vehicle while his mother slept.

Police in Connecticut warn parents that as temperatures rise, hot cars are dangerous for children and leaving them unattended in one for any length of time could even be fatal.

"During summer weather, the temperature inside of a car can rise into the triple digits in a matter of minutes. Studies on thermal injury to children show that "dry heat" temperatures, within a closed vehicle, can become dangerous to small children and infants in only minutes," the Connecticut State Police say on their website.

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