A female toddler was found dead Friday in a locked car outside a school in South Carolina after her mother allegedly forgot her in the car, authorities said.
Passersby noticed the 16-month-old girl in the car sitting in the parking lot of Bishop England High School before 4 p.m. and reported it to the police, The Post and Courier noted. The baby’s mother, who worked at the school, arrived between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and forgot the child in the vehicle, Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell said, per the report. Elevated temperatures reportedly contributed to the death of the 16-month-old girl, according to the autopsy conducted Sunday. Temperatures within the car likely shot past 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the trapped girl could have survived only minutes in the “tragic accident,” Hartwell reportedly said. (RELATED: ‘Pure Negligence’: Couple Charged With Manslaughter After Allegedly Leaving Baby In Hot Car Overnight)
#BREAKING: A child has been pronounced dead in the parking lot of Bishop England High School after being locked inside of a vehicle.
The Berkeley County Coroner’s Office will release information regarding the deceased once it’s available. @Live5News pic.twitter.com/zwKRv4L14P
— Emily Johnson | Live 5 News (@EmilyJohnsonTV) August 25, 2023
Neither the mother nor the child are identified in the report. An investigation by local and state law enforcement agencies has reportedly begun.
Activities at the Catholic school were canceled and counselors were provided to students and staff, per the report.
The family “definitely needs your prayers, your support. Most importantly, they need some respect and privacy while they go through these challenging times,” Hartwell reportedly said, adding a word of caution for parents to avoid getting so busy and to “slow down and pay attention.”
The child’s death is the 20th vehicular heatstroke death in the U.S. in 2023, thirteen short of the total of such deaths in 2022, according to NoHeatStroke.org.