Authorities say a recently adopted 1-year-old girl has died after her father left her in a hot truck.
Metro Nashville police said the adoptive father, Matt Barker, ‘reportedly forgot’ about the child, Katera Barker, after dropping off her sibling at day care between 7:30am and 8am Wednesday.
Matt Barker returned home and took a ride-sharing service to the airport, according to East Nashville Patch.
He then flew out of town for a business trip.
The girl’s adoptive mother, Jenny Barker, left the home and drove to work in her own car.
Authorities say a recently adopted 1-year-old girl has died after her father left her in a hot truck
Jenny Barker then drove to the daycare to pick up her children. It was there that she was told that Katera was never dropped off.
Jenny Barker then telephoned her husband.
Police said it was during this conversation that the couple realized what had happened.
She found the child around 5:40pm in a car seat inside the pickup truck parked outside their home.
Jenny Barker performed CPR on Katera until paramedics arrived.
Metro Nashville police said the adoptive father, Matt Barker, ‘reportedly forgot’ about the child, Katera Barker, after dropping off her sibling at day care between 7:30am and 8am Wednesday. Their home in East Nashville is seen above
Katera was rushed to Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt on Wednesday night.
She was pronounced dead on arrival.
It’s unclear exactly how long she was in the vehicle.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in Nashville reached a high of 89 degrees, meaning the inside of the truck could have reached nearly 120 degrees.
No charges have been filed as of Thursday afternoon. So far, the parents have cooperated with investigators.
Authorities say the parents had recently adopted Katera.