Aunt: Child found dead inside hot car was in the care of a Sullivan County foster family

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The heartbroken aunt of a toddler found dead inside a hot car Tuesday in Monticello is now asking for the community’s help. Chante Ware says in a GoFundMe that her nephew, 2-year-old Antonio, was in the custody of a Sullivan County Foster family when he died in Monticello. State police say the child was left inside a hot car for more than an hour outside an apartment at the Sleepy Hollow apartment complex on Terri Lane. Ware claims she and her sister, the boy’s mother, have been “stonewalled” by the Sullivan County Department of Social Services and have yet to see the boy’s body. “They are trying to rush and bury my nephew and we feel they are trying to cover up a crime,” Ware says. A representative for Sullivan County referred News 12's questions to state police. News 12 reached out to state police Wednesday morning for additional information but have not heard back. The GoFundMe asks for help to pay for funeral costs and housing needed for the boy’s mother to get custody of her other son who Ware remains in foster care. According to the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety, which tracks national data on hot car deaths, the tragedy is the first hot car death this year in New York state. “When it’s clear that the child was left behind, {it needs} to be investigated thoroughly. A lot of the time, when children are unknowingly left behind, about 50% of the time a parent or caregiver is criminally charged,” says Amber Rollins, the director for Kids and Cars Safety. Rollins says parents and caregivers can look for built-in sensors in some new child car safety seats or sensor pads that can be slipped beneath the removable liner of a child safety seat. The technology alerts drivers through a cellphone app if their child is left behind. She also recommends drivers put a stuffed animal in the front seat when a child is in the car as a reminder. “We are also working hard to make sure the technology comes in every vehicle to detect if a child is alone and provide assistance to that child,” Rollins says. So far, it’s not clear if anyone will face charges in Tuesday’s incident. The incident remains under investigation by state police. Sullivan County has declined to comment. "