The father of an 8-month-old girl who died after she was left inside of a hot car has been charged with second-degree murder, Georgia Bureau of Investigation officials said during a news conference on Wednesday.
Davied Japez McCorry Whatley, 20, was taken into custody Wednesday morning in connection with the child’s death, police said.
Whatley is accused of leaving his daughter inside his vehicle for several hours on Tuesday afternoon. According to Snellville Police, Whatley arrived at the police department just after 2 p.m. to retrieve his firearm from the property custodian when officers learned he had an outstanding probation charge. He was taken into custody and transported to the Gwinnett County jail. He bonded out on the unrelated charge Tuesday evening, according to authorities.
Investigators said at no time did Whatley inform them that a child was inside the vehicle.
The entire interaction with Whatley was recorded on body camera, investigators said.
During the news conference, police said at some point after his arrest the suspect contacted the child’s grandmother who then went to the car and found the child inside the suspect’s vehicle.
The grandmother took the child to an area emergency room where she was pronounced deceased.
Whatley is expected to be transported back to the Gwinnett County jail on the second-degree murder charge Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
CNN was unable to determine at this time if Whatley has an attorney.
Snellville is located in metro Atlanta. The area saw a high temperature of 86 °F Tuesday, according to National Weather Service data.
