Toddler hospitalized after being left in car 2 hours during church

A Garden City toddler is receiving treatment in a Wichita hospital after his parents left him in a hot car Sunday afternoon during church services.

The boy, 2, was discovered alone and unresponsive in the family’s vehicle after church and Sunday school services ended, according to a news release from the Garden City Police Department posted on the agency’s Facebook page. He had been left inside for about two hours.

The boy suffered extreme heat exposure and was taken to St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City by his parents after he was found. Staff there stabilized the boy before he was taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for further treatment.

The outside temperature was 92 degrees while the boy was in the vehicle, the release said.

Police say the boy’s family was headed to church at about 1 p.m. Sunday when he fell asleep during the car ride there. When they arrived, his mother took three other children into the church while the father lagged behind to gather items, the release said. He then went inside.

Police said each parent thought the other had the toddler and had taken him to Sunday school. The parents then attended church services.

It wasn’t until after the day’s services ended and the boy never emerged from Sunday school that the parents realized he was missing. They found him unconscious in their vehicle while searching for him, according to police.

This story was originally published March 20, 2017 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Toddler hospitalized after being left in car 2 hours during church."