Foster mother charged for 7-month-old’s death after she was left in hot van
HAMLET, N.C. — A 7-month-old girl died in Hamlet on Monday, and her foster mother is charged with leaving the little girl inside of a hot minivan.
Channel 9’s Gina Esposito spoke to police in Hamlet, which is near Rockingham, as they’re investigating what led to the tragedy.
Police haven’t said how long she was in the minivan, but temperatures on Monday were around 90 degrees.
Officers responded to a home on Charlotte Street around 6 p.m. Monday. The baby girl was found unresponsive; she died at the hospital due to excessive heat, according to court documents.
The girl’s foster mother, Djuna Bostick, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and negligent child abuse.
“I just can’t see her as a monster—people try to make her be, I don’t see that," Lashon McDonald told Esposito.
McDonald is also a foster mom, and she says Bostick has been a dedicated foster parent for decades. She says Bostick was careful.
“I actually gave her a lot of things for this baby. Like I said, we were support for each ot her, she loved this baby,” McDonald said.
Investigators haven’t said why Bostick may have left the girl in the car, but Amy Hamilton Forester with Safe Kids Mid-Carolinas Region says it can sometimes happen with a change in caregivers or their routine.
“That can lead to a negative outcome because it’s just something you are not planning for,” Forester said.
She says Safe Kids of the Mid-Carolinas Region conducts trainings to educate parents and caregivers on the dangers of hot cars, including helping them establish a routine every time they enter and exit a vehicle.
McDonald just wants to know what went wrong Monday night.
“I just don’t see her as being one of those who just left her and didn’t realize she was there—it’s just hard to believe," McDonald said.
We asked police if any other adults were home when this happened. The department says they’re still actively investigating and putting all of the pieces together