‘Young child’ dies after being left in back seat of a hot car on a 90-degree day

Tennessee police said they found a young child dead in the backseat of a car that was parked outside a store on a day when temperatures approached 90 degrees.

Authorities said the child was found in a car outside a Food City store in Knoxville at around 3:15pm on Friday.

Police would not release details of the age or gender. It said that attempts to revive the child were unsuccessful.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police cordoned off a large section of the parking lot in Knoxville during their investigation

‘Young child. It was a young child, we can confirm that for sure,’ Knoxville Police Department spokesman Scott Erland told the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Police cordoned off a large section of the parking lot with yellow tape. A blue tarp was draped over a car’s backseat.

Authorities have yet to determine where the parents or guardians of the child were.

There is still no word as to how long the child was in the car.

The local weather forecast indicated that temperatures in the area hovered around 90 degrees, though the heat index made it feel like 96.

Under those conditions, a young child or an animal doesn’t have much time if unable to leave a car.

Local temperatures reached 90 degrees on Friday afternoon. The image above shows an ambulance at the scene on Friday

‘It’s important to note how fast a car can heat up when it’s closed and the windows are up it heats up incredibly fast,’ Erland said.

‘And really, animal or child are really going to struggle in those environments and they can’t be left very long.

‘So, it’s always a reminder to look before you leave your vehicle. Check your backseats.

‘Set reminders for yourself to check the backseat and make sure the child isn’t back there.’

So far this year, 31 young children have died as a result of heat stroke brought about by being left in a hot car.