Toddler found dead in hot car outside church preschool, Florida police say
A toddler died after she was left in a hot car in the parking lot of a Florida church, police said.
Officers found the girl in a vehicle in the church parking lot at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Preschool on Sept. 6 after reports of an unresponsive child, according to a news release from the City of Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
Police began investigating the area and a gray van that was parked in the lot, WJXT reported.
It is unclear if the death was criminal or accidental, police spokesperson Sgt. T.L. Tator said in a news conference streamed by WJAX.
Police did not share how long the child was left in the car or whether the child was affiliated with the church or preschool.
“Heat was a factor in this,” Tator said. “As we all know, it is summertime. Heat gets extremely unbearable, more for elderly and for youth.”
Tator also said the preschool, operated through the church, was in session when the toddler was found.
No one has been taken into custody, police told WJXT, and “everyone involved” was interviewed.
McClatchy News reached out to Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Preschool on Sept. 6 and they declined to comment.
“It affects everybody. It affects not only the parishioners, but it affects the community, it affects the officers, so we just ask that everybody keep that family in their thoughts and prayers,” Tator said.
Hot car deaths
More than 950 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“About 40 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car,” officials said. “That’s about one child every 10 days killed in a hot car.”
Hot car deaths are most common in the summer, but they can happen at any time, according to the administration. The first “vehicular heatstroke” of the year typically happens in March.
“Leaving a window open is not enough - temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive, and if not, call 911 immediately.
This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Toddler found dead in hot car outside church preschool, Florida police say."
