ORLANDO, Florida—Authorities say a Florida woman has been charged in the death of a 4-year-old boy, who was left in a hot minivan for more than six hours.
The Orlando Sentinel reports 27-year-old Mariah Butler was arrested Tuesday, March 19, and charged with aggravated manslaughter and child neglect.
After boy’s hot-car death, 4-year-old Logan Starling’s family seeks answers https://t.co/bMe6OvCUkG pic.twitter.com/KyKGLvQqOz
— Orlando Sentinel (@orlandosentinel) October 5, 2018
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says Logan Starling was one of five children that Butler brought to the Elite Preparatory Academy, where she worked as an administrative assistant, in September.
Investigators say Butler didn’t realize she left Logan in her vehicle until the boy’s teacher asked about him that afternoon.
“I physically seen all the children get out of the vehicle,” Butler wrote in a statement.
@OrangeCoSheriff arrests Mariah Butler, 27, for the death of 4yo Logan Starling, in September. Deputies say the boy died after Butler left him in a hot van. Logan’s family says they’re overjoyed that they can finally start getting justice. #Fox35 #news #Breaking #crime #arrest pic.twitter.com/h9E859wNlg
— Matt Trezza (@Fox35Matt) March 20, 2019
She said that she has no clue how Logan got back inside the vehicle and has a history of wandering and being [discreet] about his actions, according to news outlets.
Surveillance video showed Butler only getting out of the car with four children, according to an investigative report.
The school’s director, Albert Steele, ran out to the minivan, found Logan, and rushed the child across the street to a fire station.
Butler was being held on $15,150 bail. Jail records didn’t list an attorney.
Mariah Butler covers her faces as she waits in the lobby of the Orange County jail after bonding out. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/bG6yluQrJ7
— NickyZizazaNews6 (@ZizazaNews6) March 21, 2019
Kids in Cars
On average, according to advocacy website Kids and Cars, “37 children die from heat-related deaths after being trapped inside vehicles. Even the best of parents or caregivers can unknowingly leave a sleeping baby in a car; and the end result can be injury or even death.”
In 2016, 39 children across the United States died because they were left inside a hot car, according to the website No Heat Stroke. In a 19-year-period, when more than 700 children died of heatstroke inside cars, 54 percent of caretakers said they “forgot” that the child was there.
“It doesn’t have to be a blazing hot day for these to happen,” according to Jan Null, a San Jose State professor and former meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Null told the San Jose Mercury News. “They can happen anywhere, and happen to anyone.”
Null told SFGate that the temperatures inside vehicles heat up rapidly, with the air rising about 19 degrees over whatever the outside temperature is in the first 10 minutes and rising another 10 degrees in the next 10 minutes.
Additionally, Null said the bodies of small children heat up three to five times faster compared to adults.
“So, while you and I could be in a car that’s, say, 109 degrees, an infant or small child would be to the point of entering heat stroke,” he said.
The U.S. National Safety Council said, “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,” it says.
“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.”
