Caregiver leaves autistic man to die in a hot car while he works second job

A North Carolina man has admitted to leaving a nonverbal man with autism to die in a hot car.

Rogers Lee Inge Jr, 55, is facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter after he was arrested on Tuesday. Inge had left 22-year-old Dontarius Batts in his car while he went to work his second job as a school janitor.

Inge left Batts in the parking lot at Cleveland High School in Clayton at 8am on Tuesday, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. Inge returned two hours later to check on Batts and later told police "he was fine" at this time.

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However, when Inge returned to his car more than six hours later at 4.17pm, he found Batts dead. Inge left the school and called 911 at 4.43pm and said he was "responsible for the death of an individual who was in his vehicle".

Inge could be heard sobbing on the call as he said: "It's my fault." According to audio obtained by WRAL , he added: "I didn't think it was that hot today. I didn't check on him. I forgot. I was working."

The 911 caller then asked the 55-year-old to pull over at a nearby fire station so they could send help. First responders arrived and declared Batts dead at the scene.

Inge was then taken to the Johnston County Jail. The official cause of death has not been released, but officials said in their statement that heat was a factor, with the temperature reaching 82 degrees on that day.

Inge was a full-time carer to Batts and also worked as a high school janitor. He has been terminated from his job, according to WTVD . Batts' family has set up a GoFundMe account to help cover "unforeseen expenses". The family said they are "heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected" death.

Batt's sister wrote: "Words can’t express the hurt I feel writing this because it all still feel so unreal. On August 20, 2024 my brother Dontarius Batts (Donte) who was autistic and non verbal was left in a hot vehicle by his caregiver with the engine off and the windows up between the hours of 8am until a little after 4pm."

Batts was released on a $35,000 bond, according to online jail records. He's now set to appear in court on September 26.

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