Arizona 4-month-old becomes state's 4th child to die in hot car this year: cops
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 4-month-old girl was found dead Tuesday in a hot car in Arizona on an 89-degree day after her father allegedly drove to work and forgot that she was still strapped into her car seat, authorities said. The incident marked the fourth hot car death in Arizona this year.
The father, a 56-year-old school administrator, told authorities he did not realize he had left his daughter in the back seat of his vehicle until leaving work around 3:30 p.m.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Phoenix fire officials responded to the parking lot for a Washington Elementary School District busing facility but were unable to resuscitate the girl. She was pronounced dead at the scene. It was unclear how long the girl was left inside the hot vehicle unsupervised.
The father and daughter’s names have not been released. Authorities said the man and his wife adopted and are foster parents to several children. Phoenix police Detective Luis Samudio told reporters the man had dropped off a group of kids at daycare before he reported to work at 7 a.m.
He told police he left work hours later to pick up the 4-month-old girl for an appointment. He said he forgot the girl was still in the car when he drove back to work to finish out the remainder of the day, AZCentral reported. Police said the girl who died had been adopted by the couple, KPHO-TV of Phoenix reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Samudio called the father "a good man'' and said it remained unclear at this time if the department would pursue charges against him as the investigation into the incident is ongoing. The official cause of death has not been determined pending an autopsy report.
"Him and his wife are always willing to help others," Samudio said of the father at a news conference. The school district said the father left his daughter inside his personal vehicle, not inside a van owned by the district, KPHO reported.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Safety Council reported 46 children died in hot car deaths in 2019, not including this most recent case. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the inside of a car can heat up to 120 degrees in 30 minutes even when the outside temperature is 85 degrees.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.