A 7-month-old infant has died after being left inside a vehicle in Monterey, Tennessee, according to local authorities, in what officials are describing as a “devastating tragedy.”
Deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, alongside the Monterey Police Department, responded to a report of an unresponsive infant at approximately 4 p.m. on April 15 at the Monterey Library, according to the sheriff’s office. Upon arrival, first responders located the 7-month-old inside a vehicle.
Authorities said it is believed the child may have been left in the car for several hours. The vehicle’s engine was off, and the windows were rolled up, conditions that can cause temperatures inside a car to rise rapidly even on moderately warm days.
Emergency personnel attempted multiple life-saving measures at the scene. Despite those efforts, the infant was pronounced deceased.
Officials said the case remains an active and ongoing investigation as authorities work to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
In 2025, at least 35 children died in hot car incidents across the United States. The cases were concentrated in warmer states, with Texas accounting for the highest number of deaths, followed by states including California, Georgia, and North Carolina.
The most common circumstance involved children being unknowingly left in vehicles, followed by cases where a child was intentionally left behind and incidents in which children gained access to a vehicle on their own. The data show that many victims were infants and toddlers, with several cases occurring during peak summer months.
Since 1990, at least 1,172 children in the United States have died from heat-related incidents in vehicles, according to Kids and Car Safety. The group also reports that more than 7,500 children have survived similar situations, often with varying degrees of injury.
Monterey is located in Putnam County, roughly 90 miles east of Nashville.