Florida police are charging a man with child neglect after he allegedly left his granddaughter in the backseat of a returned rental car.
David Towner, 62, was babysitting his granddaughter when he allegedly returned the vehicle with her in it to the Daytona Beach International Airport on Tuesday, according to a press release from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Security footage revealed the rental was returned just after 5:00 p.m., but the child wasn’t found by Hertz employees until approximately 45 minutes later, the release stated.
When officers arrived on scene, the child, who is just under 2-years-old, was being carried by the employee that found her, according to the press release. She felt warm and had streaks of dried tears on her face, but was reportedly breathing normally. Authorities claim the temperature of the parking lot the vehicle was parked in was about 80 degrees. (RELATED: ‘Gut-Wrenching’ Scream: Mom Collapses After Learning Her Toddler Died In Hot Car)
In body camera footage released by WESH 2 News, the Hertz employee is holding the toddler in her lap, while medical personnel appear to be checking the child’s blood pressure and temperature.
Thank you @Hertz at @FlyDAB! Employees discovered a toddler left in the back seat of a returned vehicle for about 45 minutes Monday evening. The child was scared and hot, but thankfully in good health when checked by paramedics. https://t.co/1PEtGXdi9G pic.twitter.com/sL773ho9KP
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) October 11, 2022
The girl’s mother was initially unaware that her daughter had been left in the rental vehicle, according to the press release. When she picked up her father from the airport, Towner informed her that the child was back home with his roommate, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported. When they arrived to Towner’s house, the mother quickly learned her daughter had been left in the rental car.
“I picked my dad up at the airport and um, and he was dropping a rental car off and I – he said he had my daughter at the house and he left my daughter in the rental car at Daytona International Airport,” the mother frantically stated to a 9-1-1 dispatcher, according to WESH 2 News.
The child was reunited with her mother, and The Department of Children and Families was notified of the situation, according to authorities. (RELATED: The Gov’t Doesn’t Even Know If Child Care Centers Have ‘Safe Drinking Water’, Report Finds)
Towner, reportedly remorseful for his error, has been cooperating with Florida police. He was released from the Volusia County Branch Jail on a $2,500 bond, but is to have no contact with his granddaughter, WESH 2 News reported.