1-year-old girl dies after father left her in hot car for more than nine hours, authorities say
MADISONVILLE, La (WVUE/Gray News) - A man in Louisiana is accused of leaving his 1-year-old daughter in a hot car for more than nine hours, leading to her death.
On Sunday, deputies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a call just before noon at a residence in the area. A family member had found the child unresponsive inside a parked vehicle.
Detectives say 35-year-old Joseph Boatman picked up his daughter from a family member around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Instead of removing her from the car after coming home, he allegedly went inside and never came back.
Officials say the 35-year-old allegedly consumed several alcoholic beverages before coming back for the toddler.
“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”
Bridget Gardner, a trauma nurse at University Medical Center and the director of the Louisiana enger Safety Task Force said vehicles can heat quickly.
“It’ll heat up about 20 degrees in about 10 minutes,” Gardner said. “It doesn’t even have to be really hot temperatures to have a child die due to being left in the car.”
Boatman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office is expected to conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
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