8-Month-Old Infant Dead After Father Left Her In A Hot Car For An Hour

An 8-month-old infant has been reported dead after her father allegedly forgot about her and accidentally left her in a hot car for an hour in Jacksonville's Northside on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Law enforcement and members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to the 2200 block of Newberry Road to respond to an unresponsive child inside a vehicle at around 2:22 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20. When the officers arrived, they located the 8-month-old girl and rushed her to a nearby hospital. However, she was pronounced dead upon arrival at the health facility, First Coast News reported.

The father of the deceased child reportedly occupies a residence on the street, with the property also serving as the address of his business.

According to a preliminary investigation, the child’s father arrived in the area some time after noon to do some work at his business. He had reportedly parked his car and turned the engine off when he accidentally left his daughter in the vehicle, as he entered one of the homes in the neighborhood.

The small child was allegedly left unattended in the car for about an hour. The father subsequently realized that he had left his infant back in the vehicle. Sometime after 2 p.m., he rushed out to the car, opened the vehicle, and pulled the child from the car. He then dialed 911 for help and began performing CPR on his unresponsive daughter, News4JAX reported.

According to the Weather Authority, the temperatures inside the car on the day could have reached approximately 114 degrees after 20 minutes, 123 degrees after 40 minutes, and 128 degrees after an hour.

Meanwhile, Jessica Winberry, an injury prevention coordinator at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, stated that hot cars are especially dangerous for children.

“Small children heat up three to five times faster than adults,” Winberry said.

The last hot vehicle death in the Jacksonville area occurred in 2019 outside a Westside daycare center, after a 4-month-old girl was left for five hours inside a daycare van.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, vehicular heatstroke is one of the leading causes of non-crash-related fatalities among children.

The detectives are continuing to investigate the tragic incident and anyone with any information in connection with the death is asked to contact First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.