Man whose baby died of heat stroke after he left her in a van for hours is given ten years in prison

Kentucky man whose five-month-old daughter died of heat stroke after he left her in a van for several hours with two other small children is sentenced to ten years in prison

  • Michael Anthony Thigpen, 34, was sentenced Thursday in Logan County Circuit Court after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault charges
  • Thigpen’s five-month-old daughter, Emma Grace Thigpen, died from hyperthermia, also known as heat stroke, on June 10, 2016
  • Emma Grace’s father left her and her two toddler sisters in a van parked outside a trailer home in Auburn, Kentucky while he went inside and fell asleep
  • The other two girls were hospitalized for heat-related problems as well
  • An investigation found Thigpen was awake for a total of 24 hours before returning and falling asleep inside his home with the children in the van

Michael Anthony Thigpen, 34, was sentenced Thursday in Logan County Circuit Court after pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault charges

A Kentucky man whose five-month-old daughter died after being left in a van with two other small children in 2016 has been sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Michael Anthony Thigpen, 34, of Brandenburg, Kentucky, received his sentence inside Logan County Circuit Court in Russellville, Kentucky on Thursday after pleading guilty to manslaughter and assault charges.

Authorities said Thigpen’s baby daughter, Emma Grace Thigpen, died of hyperthermia, also known as heat stroke, on June 10, 2016 after her dad left her and her two toddler sisters in the van he parked outside the trailer home where Thigpen was staying in Auburn, Kentucky.

The other two unidentified girls, who were 18 months and two years old at the time, were later hospitalized for heat-related problems as well, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.

An investigation determined Thigpen had been awake for a total of 24 hours, driving an Uber and taking his wife to work, before returning to the Auburn dwelling with the three children.

Emma Grace Thigpen (pictured) died of hyperthermia on June 10, 2016, after her father left her in a van for several hours

Emma Grace Thigpen (pictured) died of hyperthermia on June 10, 2016, after her father left her in a van for several hours

The three children were found unresponsive in a trailer at the park by EMS.

Authorities testifying during previous court hearings said Thigpen originally claimed he’d left the children sleeping in one room of the trailer when the room’s air conditioner unit lost power.

An investigator testified that Thigpen eventually confessed to leaving the girls in the vehicle, blaming his lack of sleep for the mistake.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk