Toddler dies in hot car; parents facing charges
HOLMES COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida toddler died after
being left in a vehicle for 15 hours, and the child’s parents
are accused of murder and other charges, authorities said.
Christopher McLean, 32, and Kathreen Adams, 23, were
arrested and also charged with child neglect, possession of
methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia, WJHG-TV
reported.
According to the Holmes County Sheriff’s
Office, the 2-year-old was left in a vehicle from midnight to
approximately 3 p.m. CDT on Tuesday in the community of
Prosperity, WMBB-TV reported.
Deputies arriving at the
scene observed Adams holding the child in her arms, according to
the television station. She allegedly told deputies that she
found the child unresponsive inside their home.
“Investigators on the scene had EMC take a body temperature of
the baby, which the body temperature of the child was 107
degrees,” Holmes County Sheriff John Tate said at a news
conference on Wednesday. “So we knew something was not adding
up.”
Deputies attempted life-saving measures but the
child was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WMBB.
McLean, who was the child’s father, was reportedly
uncooperative during questioning, WJHG reported. Investigators
said Adams eventually admitted she picked her daughter up from a
babysitter around midnight and decided to leave her in the
vehicle.
“So they decided to leave the child in the car
and went inside and ultimately fell asleep and did not wake up
or did not realize the child was in the car until around three,
3:41 that afternoon and once they realized that the child was
still in the car, they went out and found it unresponsive,” Tate
told reporters.
According to Kids and Car Safety, it was
the fourth hot car death nationwide this year and the second in
Florida.
Officials said a 4-year-old child was also in
the vehicle but managed to exit, WJHG reported. The older child
is currently in the custody of the Department of Children and
Families.
“I honestly believe that methamphetamine is the
culprit behind this death,” Tate told reporters. “When you use
drugs, you lose sense of reality and this kind of stuff happens.
If they weren’t on drugs, we probably wouldn’t be here today. We
are ultimately here today to get justice for that two-year-old,”
said Tate.
“Any time there’s a loss of a child, it’s just a very tragic event no
matter if it’s by natural means or by accident or by some other means,” he
said.