Ten-month-old dies after parent leaves her in a hot SUV on a 90-degree day to go grocery shopping in Richmond
- A 10-month-old baby girl died after being left in a hot car in Virginia on Tuesday
- The child was left in the SUV while the adult she was with went grocery shopping
- It was a sweltering afternoon in Richmond with temperatures in the mid-90s
- The car was then driven to a home where emergency crews responded at 2pm
- The baby was in cardiac arrest and died on the way to the hospital, police said
A baby girl died after being left in a hot car in Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday.
The child, believed to be 10-months-old, was left unattended in the SUV while the adult she was with went grocery shopping, WTVR reported.
It was a sweltering afternoon in the city, with temperatures reaching the mid 90s.
The vehicle was then driven from the food store to a home along the 4600 block of Britannia Road in South Richmond, where the adult called 911, according to the channel.
Police investigated an infant death in South Richmond on Tuesday afternoon after a 10-month-old girl died after being left in a hot car, WTVR reported
That’s where emergency crews responded just before 2 p.m.
The baby, who was in cardiac arrest, died on the way to Chippenham Hospital.
Richmond Police confirmed to WTVR that they are in the early stages of a possible heat-related infant death investigation.
Forensics officers were seen using a heat gun on the SUV to find out how hot it was parked in front of the home, the CBS channel reported.
Authorities did not release further information.
Forensics officers were seen using a heat gun on the SUV (pictured), in which the baby girl was believed to have been left unattended, to find out how hot it was
The adult reportedly drove to this home along the 4600 block of Britannia Road in South Richmond when they called 911
Fifty-two children died in the U.S. last year as a result of being unattended in a hot vehicle, according to KidsAndCars.org, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting child safety.
On average, 38 children die of vehicular heat stroke each year – or one about every nine days – and more than half are infants age one and under.
Virginia ranks number 9 in the nation based on the number of child hot car deaths with 29 fatalities since 1994, according to the nonprofit.
In more than half of the cases, the parent or caregiver unknowingly left the child in the vehicle.