Los Angeles Police Launch Death Investigation After 4-Year-Old Dies in Parked Car

The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office identified the child as 4-year-old Adina Nevo.

Published: 5/21/2026, 5:09:19 PM EDT

Los Angeles Police Launch Death Investigation After 4-Year-Old Dies in Parked Car — Police tape in a file photo. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Los Angeles police are investigating after a 4-year-old girl was found dead in a parked car outside a home in the San Fernando Valley earlier this week.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) told NTD via email Thursday that a death investigation is underway following the incident.

Officers responded around 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday to the 12700 block of McCormick Street near Bluebell Avenue in the Valley Village neighborhood after receiving reports of an unresponsive child in a vehicle.

Upon their arrival, police found the young child inside the vehicle, where she was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, LAPD Captain Warner Castillo told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday evening.

In aerial media footage, the dark-colored SUV or minivan could be seen parked in the driveway of a home at the end of a cul-de-sac, partially covered by a white tent.

The LAPD did not provide any additional details about what led up to the incident. However, neighbors told ABC 7 Eyewitness News that the girl was part of a neighborhood carpool and was expected to be dropped off that morning by a father who was driving the vehicle in question.

Criminal defense attorney Lou Shapiro told KTLA 5 that the man's wife had called him after the child was discovered, clarifying that he was not the child's father.

"I'm here on behalf of the driver of the car, who obviously is being investigated right now for this tragedy," Shapiro said, adding that the man could face arrest. "It's always a possibility. I've been told there's an active crime scene, so that could very well happen. Just being realistic about it."

At the press briefing, Castillo said the LAPD Juvenile Division's Abused Child Section is investigating a "possible homicide," but declined to comment on whether or not any arrests had been made since.

The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office identified the child as Adina Nevo, but did not list an official cause of death, pending additional investigation.

Valley Village reached a high of up to 84°F by 3 p.m. Tuesday, Weather Underground recorded.

According to the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety, nearly 1,200 children have died in hot cars in the United States since 1990 and at least 7,500 have suffered injuries of varying severity.

The organization reported that five hot car-related deaths have occurred so far this year, including a 1-year-old and a 2-month-old who died in Alabama and Virginia, respectively, on Wednesday.