Police: 2-year-old dies in Gatlinburg after being left
in car overnight
A 2-year-old child has
died after being left in a vehicle overnight in
Gatlinburg last week, according to authorities.
Gatlinburg police said the child was found dead on
Friday around 1:57 p.m. in a car on Laurel Avenue.
Police believe the child had been in the car since
Thursday night.
NBC affiliate WBIR said,
according to Gatlinburg Police Chief Randall Brackins,
that the parents were Gatlinburg residents who were
renting a house on that street.
"They were
upset," Brackins said. "They were just, you know, in
shock, didn't know what to do."
No charges have
been filed, but the TBI and Gatlinburg Police Department
are investigating.
"They're going back now,
trying to investigate to see what was happening and why
it occurred and trying to make a determination as to why
the child was left in the car," Brackins added.
Brackins hopes parents will remember to check on their
children, especially in the summer heat.
As
temperatures continue to climb in the summer heat,
Brackins said he hopes parents put their children first.
Parents charged with
murder in 2-year-old's death
SEVIERVILLE —
A special grand jury returned murder charges Monday
against the parents of a two-year-old found dead in a
car outside a Gatlinburg home.
In press releases
issued Monday evening, District Attorney General Jimmy
Dunn and TBI announced that Anthony Dyllan Phillips and
Jade Elizabeth Phillips, parents of 2-year-old Kipp
Phillips, now face presentments charging them with
first-degree murder, aggravated child neglect, and
aggravated child abuse through acts committed July 14
that resulted in the child's death.
The two were
arrested in Sumner County, Tennessee, Monday evening,
and were being held at the jail there Monday night.
The press releases don't provide additional details
about what led prosecutors to charge the couple with
murder in the death of their child. Dunn did not return
a call seeking additional information Monday.
Gatlinburg police and emergency responders found Kipp
Phillips deceased in a car outside a house at 416 Laurel
Ave. shortly before 2 p.m. July 14.
In a press
release, Gatlinburg Police Chief Randy Brackins said
police went to the home after getting a call saying a
2-year-old child had been left in a car overnight.
Brackins said he couldn't offer additional
information on the case Monday night.
GPD and TBI
investigated the case.