Mom arrested in
2-year-old's death after allegedly leaving baby in car 8 hours while she
slept
An
Escambia County mother has been arrested on charges stemming from the death
of her 2-year-old child who was found dead in a car around 4 p.m. Wednesday,
according to Assistant State Attorney John Molchan.
Jessica Monell,
36, by arrested Wednesday night by Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
deputies, said Maj. Andrew Hobbs, spokesman for ECSO.
Monell was
charged with homicide-neglect manslaughter, neglect of a child, three counts
of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and
possession of drug equipment.
Monell arrived home at the Aqua Porta
Apartments complex around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, Hobbs said. She went
inside her residence without her child, leaving the 2-year-old in the car
while Monell went to sleep, according to authorities.
“She got home
and went inside to sleep. She forgot her kid was left in the car,” Hobbs
said. “The poor child had to sit in the car for over eight hours in the
heat.”
Monell woke up around 4 p.m., Hobbs said. By that time, the
toddler had died.
Investigators found crystal meth and Xanax in
Monell’s apartment, Hobbs added.
She was booked into the Escambia
County Jail without bond.
Fla.
Mom Accused of Leaving Toddler Daughter to Die in Hot Van as She Slept for
Several Hours
Police allegedly recovered drugs from
Jessica Monell's home
A Florida father is opening up about his grief
about his late toddler daughter, who died after being left in a hot van for
several hours last Wednesday.
“My heart is broken,” Donald Merritt
told FOX10 News, speaking for the first time about the death of his
2-year-old daughter, Joy Monell-Merritt.
Police allege Joy died after
her mother left her in the van, parked in the Florida sun.
PEOPLE
confirms through online court records the girl’s mother, Jessica Monell, 36,
was arrested last week and charged with homicide-neglect manslaughter,
neglect of a child, three counts of possession of a controlled substance
without a prescription and possession of drug equipment.
She remains
in custody without bail. Her lawyer could not be reached for comment.
Donald Merritt said he is having a hard time coming to terms with the
loss of his baby girl.
“She was my best friend, she loved me, she
loved me a lot, she taught me a lot about life and about love and she still
is,” Merritt said. “I don’t think anyone has ever taught me that much about
life in such a short time; about what love is … she had a huge heart.”
An arrest report obtained by PEOPLE alleges Monell left Joy inside a van
as she slept for several hours — estimated to be as many as eight — in her
Perdido Key apartment.
The arrest report alleges police discovered
crystal meth and Xanax in Monell’s apartment.
Merritt told FOX10 News
he was no longer in a relationship with Monell and lived in his own
apartment.
But he said he saw his daughter often.
“I would put
a guitar on her lap and she would just play it,” Merritt said.
A
cause of death has not yet been determined for Joy.