Arizona girl, 2, left in car by father on 109-degree day and is found dead

[airportwoman]

Her father claimed that he left her in the car in the driveway, with the engine and a/c on, and when he came back about half an hour later, it had somehow turned itself off, and the car had overheated and she had died.

I have a really bad feeling about this one, and that this isn't what really happened. I realize we have to let authorities do their jobs.

2-year-old Arizona girl dies after dad leaves her in car during triple-digit heat: Police

A 2-year-old girl has died after her father left her in a hot car as triple-digit temperatures hit Arizona.

abcnews.go.com

 

[clorenc]

This will hopefully be helpful:

“Interviews are underway and police are looking for surveillance video in the neighborhood, he said.”

 

[Mack the Knife]

I have that same bad feeling, and I can't help but feel like anyone in Arizona should know better about the dangers of heat. Especially with young children.

I'd think they should know better, they must, there's no way someone would think running the A/C was sufficient. But then I just read about a family who took their 4-month old out on Lake Havasu in the middle of a day that topped out at 121. Heat is so, so dangerous, and summers are only getting hotter.

 

[clorenc]

Is anyone good at identifying cars? Looks like the white car might be a Tesla Model Y; not sure about the black SUV — maybe an older Acura MDX?





(Source of photos: Girl, 2, dies in hot car after 'her father made terrible mistake')

From the Model Y Owner's Manual:

https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/modely/en_us/GUID-E75DB1EC-A705-4784-9983-DE677D1BF7C1.html

 

[LadyL]

why would he leave her for 1/2 hour??? what was he doing that he couldn't take her in for the 1/2 hour???

ETA: just read it was between 30-60 minutes later??? that must be what he told them - they will be able to ascertain from cameras how long it was actually but even by his estimate (or lie?), who leaves their child in the driveway for an hour?!

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I think this one sounds like a loving parent who made the biggest mistake of his life. He's probably wondering now what he was thinking. But at the time, it seemed like it would be okay to let her sleep a bit more with the AC on. Then he started doing other things inside the house and time slipped by. He now probably can't believe he made this foolish mistake and will regret it forever. IMO.

I feel worse for the child, her mom, and sisters, though.

 

[Inthedetails]

I think this one sounds like a loving parent who made the biggest mistake of his life. He's probably wondering now what he was thinking. But at the time, it seemed like it would be okay to let her sleep a bit more with the AC on. Then he started doing other things inside the house and time slipped by. He now probably can't believe he made this foolish mistake and will regret it forever. IMO.

I feel worse for the child, her mom, and sisters, though.

I understand mistakes happen, but leaving your child to sleep in the driveway is a poor decision, whether it's hot or not. You don't leave a 2yo in the car to finish a nap while you yourself leave the car. It's not fun to remove a sleeping child from a car seat, but it's also not that onerous.

It seems neglectful to me to not bring the child into the house, regardless of weather or a/c. And in Arizona? In July?

I'm so sad this has happened.

 

[Shamrock1]

May be relevant if vehicle was a Tesla: Tesla Owners Say Dog Mode Is Malfunctioning as Summer Heats Up: Report

 

[MissMalowe]

Before re-reading the article more closely again, I thought perhaps the car was left idling in the GARAGE at the time of the incident and that maybe carbon monoxide poisoning was a factor, but I see the articles say it was parked in the driveway, not the garage.

They have other children, where were they at the time of the incident? Were they not home at the time?