By The newspaper
03 Jul 2024, 01:14 AM EDT
The Cobb County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the death of an unspecified child after he was found inside a car in Marietta, where the temperature was above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Neighbors discovered the child was inside the vehicle and immediately alerted authorities.
Cobb County police said they were alerted to a child inside a car on Tuesday afternoon, July 2. Officers arrived at a home on Wanda Circle around 6:30 p.m. (local time) to remove the child from the vehicle.
Authorities said in a statement that the boy may have been inside the car for an “extended period of time” and that the temperature that day had been around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The inside of the car could have been higher because everything was closed up.
They investigate the case
Although police did not clarify whether the heat was a factor in the boy’s death, they have not ruled out its role in the tragedy. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
The Department said that as soon as there is more information about the case, they will share it. They are currently looking for the person or persons responsible for the negligence that caused the loss of a minor.
FOX 5 spoke to some of the neighbors who witnessed the unfortunate accident, who said that “it was a tragedy.” When they discovered that there was someone inside the vehicle, Amy Barnes shared that “people started screaming to call 911.”
According to Ms Barnes, the police spoke to two people inside the house where the car was located, but they did not give any further information.
Death of children in vehicles
The death of children inside cars because they are forgotten by their parents or guardians is a problem that occurs more frequently. The heat generated inside a vehicle in summer, when temperatures are very high, is a high risk for the lives of children.
Justin Ross Harris, a Cobb County resident, was convicted of murdering his 2-year-old son Cooper in 2014 after leaving him in a hot car, an incident that resulted in the boy’s death. The man was released from prison last month.
In 2023, Ariel Osbey left her 14-month-old daughter in a car in Newton County, the child died of heat exhaustion and the mother was charged with murder.
Nova Grace Whatley-Trejo, 8 months old, died in Snellville in 2022. Kendrick Engram Jr., 3 years old, died in Columbus when he was left inside the vehicle.
A 9-month-old girl was killed in Macon and a 1-year-old girl died in Danielsville, Georgia, after being abandoned in cars when temperatures ranged from 87°F to 95°F.
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