Police: Infant
left alone in car dead, father arrested
A Lake Havasu
City baby has died after police said she was left alone in a hot car
Saturday afternoon.
Ty Martin, 23, was charged with manslaughter
after police said he left his baby daughter unattended in a car while
visiting a friend, who was also charged in a subsequent marijuana grow
operation.
According to Lake Havasu City Police, officers were called
to the area of Cadet Lane and McCulloch Boulevard at 1:25 p.m. Saturday for
a report of an unresponsive child. When they arrived, officers learned that
Martin had allegedly left his baby daughter unattended in his car for
approximately 45 minutes to an hour while visiting his friend, 23-year-old
Noah Grabowski in the 40 block of Tailstar Lane.
Officers immediately
began CPR on the unresponsive child until the fire department arrived and
transported her to the hospital. Unfortunately, she never recovered, and she
was pronounced deceased a short time later.
The investigation into
the death of this baby girl is continuing, but so far information has been
gathered by detectives to warrant charging Martin with manslaughter.
Lt. Shane Sloma said Martin told officers he didn’t remember if he left
the car running or if the air conditioning was running. The child was left
in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat of the car.
Additionally,
23-year-old Noah Grabowski was arrested and charged with possession of drug
paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, and cultivation of marijuana after a
search warrant related to the manslaughter investigation was served at
Grabowski’s residence in the 40 block of Talistar Lane. Martin and Grabowski
both had their initial appearances and both were held on no bond.
Sloma said Martin allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana at Grabowski's
residence. He also said it was a small grow operation.
“This incident
is tragic for everyone involved, and completely avoidable,” Sloma said. “The
Lake Havasu City Police Department would like to remind everyone that it is
never acceptable to leave a child unattended inside of a motor vehicle.
Inside temperatures can spike rapidly, even with the air conditioner
running. Also an unattended child inside of a vehicle, running or not, could
be subjected to a host of other dangers.”
The Mohave County Medical
Examiner’s Office will conduct an exam Tuesday.