Leaving toddler in hot car during church was accident, police say

A toddler left alone in a vehicle on a 92-degree day while his parents attended church remains hospitalized, a Garden City police official said Wednesday.

Capt. Randy Ralston said the investigation thus far suggests the 2-year-old boy was inadvertently left behind after falling asleep on the ride to Sunday services at Fellowship Baptist Church, 506 N. First St. in Garden City.

His parents each thought the other had taken the boy to Sunday school and didn’t realize he was missing for about two hours.

“Based on everything we’ve found at this point, we believe that it was a mistake. It was accidental,” Ralston said.

The boy is receiving treatment for extreme heat exposure in a Wichita hospital. He was in critical condition but still alive, Ralston said.

In a post on their Facebook page on Monday, Garden City police said the boy dozed off in his family’s vehicle while they were headed to services at about 1 p.m. on Sunday. When the family arrived at the church, the boy’s mother took three of his siblings into the building. His father lagged behind to collect items the children needed before going in himself.

Neither realized the boy had been left in the vehicle until after church services ended, police have said. The boy was unconscious and unresponsive when found.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Leaving toddler in hot car during church was accident, police say."