The child dies after the caregiver locked him in a hot car for two hours

the seat where the child was sitting

 

The child dies after the caregiver locked him in a hot car for two hours.

Police investigate the death of a disabled child whose caregiver left him in a hot car for two hours with the windows closed. A local facility providing care for people with disabilities, Wednesday's tragic and fatal accident is the first hot car-related death in Utah since 2019. Still, it is the tenth to occur in the United States this year. However, the adults involved have not faced criminal charges in the two most recent cases that occurred in Utah.

Lt. Jason Christensen at American Fork Police told KFOX 14 that the boy, who was also not named, was brought to the facility by the employee around 11:30 a.m. His dead body was discovered before 1:30 p.m., according to authorities.

"Temperatures at the time here were outside temperatures above 90, 97, and 98, so you can imagine the temperatures in the car would be fine, above 100," Christensen said.

Meanwhile, authorities continue to investigate whether or not the caregiver involved in the boy's death will face criminal charges.

"That's part of what we're trying to figure out is how and why he was still in the car, we're not quite sure about that," Christensen told KUTV.

"The car is turned off, and all the windows are folded, and all the doors are closed."

Christensen added that Roost Services has remained cooperative with investigators. "Everyone involved takes this very, very hard, any time it comes to a kid, it's tough stuff," he said.

Wednesday's tragedy is the first hot-car-related death in Utah since 2019, but it is the tenth in the USA in 2021, according to Kids and Car Safety, which tracks hot-car deaths across the country.