A Texas man is facing manslaughter charges because, police say, he left his six-month-old daughter in a hot minivan for as long as four hours — and then unsuccessfully tried to revive her in his refrigerator before calling for help.
The father is Michael Shannon Thedford, reports CBS Dallas.
The incident happened on Tuesday in Melissa, Texas — some 40 miles north of Dallas.
Thedford, a 33-year-old father of three, drove his two older children to daycare in the morning. Upon returning home, he went inside his home to take a nap but forget that his infant daughter, Fern, was still in his vehicle, according to an arrest warrant.
The nap lasted a good three to four hours. When Thedford roused from his slumber at around 1 p.m., the warrant says, he realized that his baby girl was still in the car. He rushed out to retrieve her, and found her unresponsive.
The high temperature in Melissa, Texas on Tuesday was 95 degrees, according to Weather Underground. By noon, the temperature outside the vehicle in which the six-month-old girl was trapped had climbed above 90 degrees.
Thedford, an unemployed high school physics and chemistry teacher, then decided to insert the infant into his home refrigerator “for an undetermined length of time prior to calling 911,” the arrest report states.
At some point, Thedford said, he also tried to revive his daughter using CPR.
Thedford eventually called emergency services.
Deputies say the girl was dead when they arrived at Thedford’s home. She was in the kitchen.
Thedford’s wife, a veterinarian, was at work as her daughter’s death occurred.
Stan Thedford, Thedford’s father, spoke well of his son, saying his son adores his children.
“Every year at this time it happens to people from all walks of life,” the elder Thedford told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA. “It’s something we should all be more aware of.”
An official at Celina High School, where Thedford taught last year, also praised Thedford.
“Michael is rocket-science smart,” school district assistant superintendent Bill Hemby told WFAA. “He did a great job for us while he was here. We all had an understanding of how much he loved his children. We’re all in mourning, just like he is.”
Not everyone gushed about Thedford, though.
“Forgetting a child? His child?” neighbor Fabiola Contreras told CBS Dallas. “It’s really hot especially if you’re in a car. It’s way hotter.”
Contreras said she watched the scene of Thedford’s arrest unfold from her porch. She saw deputies ask Thedford to reenact his actions using a Mickey Mouse doll as a prop.
“They were asking the mother a few questions and she looked like she was crying,” Contreras also told CBS Dallas. “She was devastated. So was he. He would hug her and cry.”
Thedford was released after his arrest on a $20,000 bond.
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