A two-year-old girl has died in a hot car in a driveway while her mother was taking a nap inside the house.

The woman called officers at 12.42pm on Monday to say she had woken up and could not find her daughter, said police in San Diego, California.She then called back to say she had found the child inside a car.

Officers arrived at the scene - in the city's Tierrasanta suburb - but the toddler was pronounced dead just after 1pm.

Police did not say if the mother had left the child in the car, or provide any details as to how she got inside.

The child's father identified her as Scarlett Grace Harris.

San Diego's child abuse unit took over the investigation on Tuesday.