Melissa father charged in death of 6-month-old left in car

A Melissa father has been arrested in the death of his 6-month-old daughter who died after being left in a hot car, Collin County sheriff’s officials said Tuesday.

Michael Thedford, 33, has been charged with manslaughter.

Deputies responded to a call to a home in the 1400 block of Milrany Lane in Melissa about 1:30 p.m. and found the infant unresponsive.

Capt. Jim Moody, Collin County Sheriff’s Department spokesman, said the girl had been in a car but had been removed by the time deputies arrived.

The girl was in the car for up to four hours before she was found, KTVT-TV (Channel 11) reported.

Thedford is being held on $20,000 bond.

The case is still under investigation.

According to a release issued by the city of McKinney, 25 children nationwide died from heat stroke in cars in 2015.

A child’s body temperature climbs three to five times faster than that of an adult, especially in a hot car. In less than 30 minutes, the temperature inside a car can increase 35 degrees.

On Tuesday, temperatures climbed into the mid-90s in North Texas.