5-year-old girl dies after being left in hot car outside Garland home, police say
A 5-year-old girl has died after being left inside a hot vehicle on Tuesday, according to the Garland Police Department.
The department said at about 8:20 p.m., officers responded to a home on Redbird Drive concerning a medical emergency involving the young child.
First responders located the 5-year-old and immediately began lifesaving measures, taking over for family members. The child was transported to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, police confirmed.
Investigators learned that an adult family member returned home from school with the 5-year-old and her sibling. Officer Matt Pesta said the boy got out of the vehicle, leaving the relative in and his sister behind. Investigators said that the adult relative sat there a while and somehow left the child inside the vehicle.
"They went looking for her in all the bedrooms of the house. They went looking for her outside, thinking maybe she was just playing in the yard, and then somebody located her in the car," said Pesta.
That's when they began CPR and called 911 for help.
"Once first responders arrived on scene, they took over CPR and then immediately transported her to a nearby hospital," Pesta said. "Once she was at the hospital, unfortunately, they were unable to revive her and pronounced her deceased."
At this time, police have not released an estimated time of how long the child may have been inside the vehicle, and no charges have been filed as investigators continue to determine the circumstances surrounding the 5-year-old child's death. GPD is working with the Dallas County District Attorney's Office to see if there is any criminal responsibility in this case.
"People have said, 'Well, time heals all wounds,'" Pesta said. "Man, it does not heal all wounds. They will be reliving this as if it happened fresh every day, daily, possibly for the rest of their lives."
Garland Police said community counseling services are available for anyone who needs them following this tragedy.
"Five-year-olds come in all different developmental stages and abilities, so we don't know anything about this child, but this could happen to even kids that age," said Amber Rollins, the Executive Director of Kids and Car Safety.
Rollins said the overwhelming majority of children who are unknowingly left in vehicles are age three and under.
"Even people who can empathize and understand that maybe this could happen to a loving, responsible parent probably still don't think that it's going to happen to their family," she said.
Pesta recommends teaching kids to blow the horn if they're locked in a vehicle. He said to triple-check seats to make sure no kids are left behind, including the ones who play hide-and-seek in cargo spaces.
