A 1-year-old Tennessee toddler is dead after her adoptive father allegedly left her in a hot car all day.
The Tennesseean reported that the father told police he had dropped off the baby’s older sibling at day care but “forgot about the child” when he got to their East Nashville home on Wednesday. The girl’s mother reportedly found the toddler strapped into her car seat at 5:40 p.m. She was pronounced dead a short time later.
Records indicated that temperatures in Nashville reached 89 degrees on the day in question—meaning temperatures inside the truck could’ve reached 120 degrees.
Adoptive mother found the girl at Virginia Ave home this evening. She was pronounced deceased upon arrival at Vanderbilt Hospital. Investigation will continue through the night. pic.twitter.com/98ibqbMMB2
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) May 24, 2018
While authorities haven’t revealed the parents’ identities, they mentioned that the pair had recently adopted the 1-year-old.
WTVF spoke to the adoptive mother and learned the biological mother had spoken to the couple and chose them as her daughter’s parents. While the adoption was official, the biological was to be involved in the baby’s life.
The biological mother learned of her daughter’s death from the adoption agency Wednesday. The station reported that the child had celebrated her first birthday days earlier.
The 1-year-old is the seventh child to die in a hot car this year, according to NoHeatStroke.org.
The Metro Nashville Police Department said their investigation is ongoing, WSMV reported. As of Thursday, it’s not known whether any arrests were made in connection with this case.
BREAKING: 1-year-old girl dies after being left in a car seat all day in a pickup truck parked at the family's East Nashville home. Adoptive father reportedly forgot about the child after dropping off her sibling at daycare… pic.twitter.com/JKcYxSeVez
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) May 24, 2018
[Featured image: Metro Nashville Police Department]