ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A 1-year-old boy has died after he was reportedly left in a car all day in St. Petersburg, police said.
St. Pete police say they were called to the parking lot of the Bayfront Child Development Center on 6th Avenue South after getting word about a child found "unresponsive" in a car.
The 1-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to detectives, when the father went to pick up the baby from the daycare, staff told him the little boy had not attended that day.
A short time after that, the boy was "discovered" in the back of the father's car. The boy had been there all day.
According to the National Weather Service's forecast, the temperature on Wednesday in St. Petersburg peaked between 87 and 91 degrees with a max heat index between 98 and 103 degrees.
Temperatures in cars can rise quickly, posing dangers to anyone or any pets left locked inside. Within 10 minutes, the interior of a car on an 85-degree day can rise above 100 degrees.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and detectives are working to figure out exactly what happened and if any charges will be filed.
Hot car deaths in Florida
National nonprofit Kids and Car Safety released its 2024 analysis of hot car deaths. Each year, 38 children under the age of 14 die in a hot car, the nonprofit said.
According to its data, between 1992 and 2023 Florida recorded 118 hot car deaths. In comparison, only Texas has reported more deaths with 155 in that time frame.
The nonprofit says the majority of hot car deaths happen when a child is unknowingly left in a car or manages to get into a car. It says while many may assume the opposite, few cases involve drugs, alcohol or neglect.
The data shows that 79 of the 118 children who died in a hot car in Florida were unknowingly left inside. Another 18 got into the hot car without an adult noticing. Only 18 deaths happened after someone knowingly left the child inside the car.
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