A Louisiana father has been charged with second-degree murder after his 1-year-old daughter died when she was left in a hot car overnight.
Joseph Boatman of Hammond, La., was arrested and charged on Sunday, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
Police allege that Boatman picked up his 21-month-old daughter from a family member around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. Prior to his arrival he had consumed “multiple” alcoholic beverages, police said.
Boatman, 32, allegedly strapped his daughter into her car seat, went inside the Madisonville home and didn’t return to the car, the sheriff’s office said. The reason for this action was not given.
More than nine hours later, around noon, officers were sent to the house after the toddler was found unresponsive in the vehicle. According to police, the temperature in the area had climbed to approximately 35C on Sunday, but the heat index registered closer to 40C.
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“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said in a statement. “When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees (Fahrenheit), the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”
According to nonprofit KidsAndCars.org, her death marks the fifth child to die in a hot car in the U.S. this year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 1,000 children in the U.S. have died in hot cars since 1998.
“About 40 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car,” officials said. “That’s about one child every 10 days killed in a hot car.”
Boatman remains in custody, and his bail has been set at US$750,000.
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