Neighbor arrested in hot car death of 6-month-old in Yavapai County
YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. - Yavapai County officials announced the arrest of a juvenile neighbor they believe was responsible for watching over a 6-month-old who was left inside a hot car for several hours on July 30 in Cordes Lakes.
The baby was pronounced dead by deputies and a medical team upon discovery.
According to Yavapai County officials, the baby was left inside the car for nearly seven hours.
Cordes Lakes had been averaging 100 degree highs this year.
What does the Sheriff's Office believe happened?
Investigators say the child's mother asked a neighbor for a ride into Prescott Valley. On the way back, the baby fell asleep inside the car.
The neighbor was asked to drop off the baby with his father, who would be home shortly, Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said.
"The neighbor arrived home at around 2:00 pm parked the car exposed in the hot sun and went into their house, claiming to forget about the baby in the car," YCSO said.
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Baby found dead inside car in Yavapai County; investigation underway
A 6-month-old baby is dead after being left inside a hot car for several hours on Tuesday in Cordes Lakes, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said.
The child's father then contacted the mother, who was at work, at around 8:45 p.m., asking when the neighbor would bring him his son.
The mother immediately called the neighbor, who realized the infant was still inside the car.
"The neighbor ran next door to the father's house and both the father and neighbor pulled the baby out of the car, called 911 and tried CPR," YCSO said. "The baby had been left in the car seat strapped in the back seat of the neighbor’s car for approximately seven hours."
A GoFundMe and Meal Train site was set up to help the family deal with the loss.
Stats on hot car deaths in Arizona
According to Kids and Car Safety, this was the second hot car death to occur in Arizona this year and the 12th in the US this month.
Since 1994, 49 children have died in hot cars in our state, making it the fourth-worst nationwide.
At least 1,101 children have died in hot cars since 1990 and 88% of them were three-years-old or younger.
55% of those children were left unknowingly in their cars by caregivers or parents.