Warning: This article contains discussion of child death which some readers may find distressing
A one-year-old has died after her father had forgotten she was in his car as he went about his day while temperatures soared.
Baby Olivia Ancelet, of Australia, was locked in the back of the vehicle as temperatures soared to 86°F, with her whereabouts only being discovered after dad Etienne Ancelet drove to her daycare center to pick her up at around 5.35pm local time yesterday (February 4).
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Investigations are underway to see just how Olivia, who celebrated her first birthday in December, died. It is understood that Ancelet had put her in the car to drive her to Jelly Beings Early Learning Centre in Earlwood - a suburb in Sydney.
Authorities were called to the daycare following reports of a 'child being located unresponsive in a vehicle', and when first responders reached the youngster she was pronounced dead.
Having thought he had dropped Olivia off, Ancelet returned to his vehicle hours later to find the devastating truth.
In a joint statement to news.com.au, Ancelet and Olivia's mom Kim Visconti, described their daughter as the 'light of our lives' and a 'sweet and beautiful baby'
"We are humbled and grateful for the time we had her. We are devastated by what has unfolded," the pair said, adding how they 'do not wish this on any parent'.
"We will always cherish our time with our beautiful girl. She was loved by all that knew her," they said. "It is an unimaginable time of sorrow for us."
Speaking to Sky News, Roy Gomes - who rushed to Olivia's aid - explained how he heard the desperate screams of Ancelet and tried to resuscitate her for five minutes.
"My neighbour came across and he said, 'Can you hear that screaming?', so I turned the lawnmower off," he explained. "When I got there, I saw the [Ancelet] with the baby in [his] arms and he was just panicking.
"We didn’t know what to do, I said, ‘Let's try and give her CPR, do our best'."
While speaking with NewsWire, Gomes added: "[Ancelet] was screaming, poor guy, he kept screaming saying, 'I’ve killed my daughter'."
"All the neighbours were really good, putting water on her (and) trying to cool her down, because she was obviously still very hot," he said.
"She was just floppy. I didn’t sleep much last night, just because I could see the little baby’s face all night, but it’s just something you do."
A press conference was set up yesterday (February 4), New South Wales Police Superintendent Christine McDonald said: “Leaving a child in a vehicle at any time can be dangerous. Leaving a child inside a vehicle for an extended period of time can be deadly.
"This is an absolute tragedy."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
Joe Yates