Toddler's death considered tragic accident

Marie McCain
The Desert Sun
Police say the death of a 2-year-old girl who was found Sunday inside her family car in the driveway of her north Indio home is a "tragic accident."

"There was no criminal wrongdoing," said Officer Ben Guitron, spokesman for the Indio Police Department.

Relatives discovered Yasmin Arias inside the family car at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

No one knew the toddler had left the house.

"Family members in one part of the house thought she was with other family members on the other side of the house. Those family members thought she was in another part of the house," Guitron said.

Apparently, Yasmin liked car rides and wandered outside where she was able to get inside the family car.

She may have been in the car for about two hours, officials said.

Rushed to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, she was later transferred to Loma Linda University Medical Center where she died Monday, officials said.

An autopsy is being conducted by the San Bernardino County Coroner's office.