A four-month-old girl has died after being left—by her father—in a hot van for several hours outside of a school district building in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 1.
The unidentified 56-year-old father reportedly works as an administrator in the building and told authorities he forgot to drop off the infant after an appointment.
Authorities say when the man went to his car after leaving work around 3:30 p.m., he realized the young girl was still inside the vehicle, reported KTAR.
According to Phoenix Fire Captain Rob McDade, emergency responders rushed to the scene but were unable to revive the girl.
“The child was probably deceased for an unknown amount of time and enough to where we just could not intervene,” said McDade.
Officials do not suspect foul play.
At a press conference, Detective Luis Samudio with the Phoenix Police Department told reporters, “Him and his wife are people that are always willing to help others, this is a mishap that happened.”
According to ABC15, Samudio also said, “Sad events, I understand he’s a very good man. A parent. He’s adopted children.”
It is unclear if the man will face any criminal charges.
The Washington Elementary School District said in a statement: “Staff at the Washington Elementary School District are heartbroken about the death of an employee’s child at our service center. Our hearts go out to our staff member, his family and all of his colleagues who are grieving this tragic loss.”
“We will be providing support to the entire transportation team tomorrow and in the days to come. While we are all grieving, we will continue to provide service to our students and families,” the statement read.
Temperatures were close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the area on Oct. 1.
Hot-Car Deaths
According to Statistics from NoHeatStroke.org, forty-seven children have died from heatstroke in cars so far this year. Fifty-three died last year and 844 have died from 1998 to the present.
Over half of those children were forgotten by caregivers, while about a quarter gained access to the vehicles and got stuck.
About 19 percent were knowingly left in the vehicles by their caregivers.
The U.S. National Safety Council said that caregivers can be aware of the deaths and take action.
“Parents and caregivers can act immediately to end these deaths. Even on relatively mild days, temperatures inside vehicles still can reach life-threatening levels in minutes, and cracking the window doesn’t help,” the council stated on its website.
“The National Safety Council advises parents and caregivers to stick to a routine and avoid distractions to reduce the risk of forgetting a child. Keep car doors locked so children cannot gain access, and teach them that cars are not play areas. Place a purse, briefcase or even a left shoe in the back seat to force you to take one last glance.”
Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
