Baby dies after being left in hot car; father charged

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An infant left in a hot car in Collegedale, Tennessee died of cardiac arrest on Monday, police say.

Timothy Blackdeer, the father of the infant, is now being charged with Reckless Homicide and Aggravated Child Abuse or Neglect.

Police say they were working in the active school zone at Collegedale Academy when Blackdeer asked officers for help because his child was unresponsive.

According to police, the baby was in the parked car, which was not running for most of the day while the father worked at a nearby construction site.

Reports say the infant was pronounced dead at TC Thompson Children’s Hospital.

“The temperature inside a car can increase by 20 degrees just in ten minutes, “Manager for Injury Prevention and Safe Kids Mid-South, Jennifer Lopez. “It can get extremely hot and it does not have to be an extremely hot day.”

Authorities have not released why the child was left inside the car.

The advocacy group ChildCare Aware founded in 2022 reported families in the U.S. spend an average of $11,000 on child care each year, which amounts to a nearly 250% increase since 1991. In recent months the rise in prices has accelerated

“It’s not great to leave a child in a car at all not even for a minute. I understand childcare can be costly but we want all our children to be safe,” said Lopez.

Lopez says even if you have the a/c running, the windows down, and will only be gone for one minute, your child should go with you.

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She says a child’s body can overheat three to five times faster than an adult’s body.

According to the Department of Transportation, 40 children die each year from heatstroke because of being left in the car or becoming trapped inside.

Lopez says if you see a child left in a car, it’s important to act fast.

“Make sure to have someone call 911 immediately because they can probably get there really quickly,” said Lopez. “If you are able to get the child out of the car, make sure they are in a cool place.”

She says to have a cold towel on them, air conditioning, or put them in the shade. If you feel like the child is not responding, CPR would be great to perform if no one is there.

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