Four-year-old girl dies after being left inside hot car for about an hour
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: houstonpolice/X
A four-year-old girl has tragically died after being left inside a hot car for around an hour, according to police.
Officers from the Houston Police Department responded 911 calls made from an apartment complex near 6500 block of Houston, Texas at 6:30pm local time on Wednesday (July 3).
According to police, two women were running errands in a pickup truck for the next day, with the little girl being apart of a group of children.
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The women allegedly parked in their apartment complex and took everyone inside, however, the four-year-old was left behind, as investigators claim that she was likely forgotten.
Initial investigations have led to officials to believe the girl was left in the hot truck for about an hour until someone realized that she was missing.
After heading back to the truck and finding the girl, one of the women called 911 and she was rushed to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
It remains unclear at this stage if any arrests have been made, however, the investigation is currently ongoing.
Lt. Larry Crowson has offered advice to parents/guardians of leaving their children in hot cars and knowing their location.
"Always take precaution. Try to remember where your kids are," he told ABC 13.
"I know some people take precautions like leaving their phone or purse or keys to the house in the backseat with the children, so they don't forget to check on the children before they get out of the car."
UNILAD has contacted Houston Police for further comment.
As per the US Department of Transportation, about 40 children die of heatstroke in the United States every year after being left in a pipping hot car.
In 2019, Charlotte Jones was left in a hot car in 36°C (96F) weather and died from heat stroke as a result.
Northwest officers are at 6500 Hollister. Four year old female is deceased at the hospital after being left in a vehicle unattended. Investigation underway. 202 pic.twitter.com/xTTeUQaG56
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) July 4, 2024
Her father, Scott, had driven her and her sister to school for the usual drop off, and then returned home with Charlotte in the car.
Scott forgot that his daughter, who was ill at the time, had not been left at school that morning.
He then logged into work and didn't realise that his daughter had been left in the car until his wife rang four hours later.
Despite Scott immediately calling 911 it was already too late as his daughter had died from heatstroke in the hot car.
Charlotte's mom, Angela, issued a warning to other parents: "I just want it to resonate with other people so they can have a backup plan or do things because this is a preventable tragedy and it can be stopped through your different measure."