In the span of just a few days, three children, ages 11 months, 1, and 4, died after being left or trapped in hot cars, the Washington Post reported.
Police in Puyallup, Washington are investigating the death of a 1-year-old child who was left in a car for over nine hours on May 24.
According to authorities, the child’s foster mother was distracted when she accidentally left the 1-year-old in the car as she went to work at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital’s social service program.
After work, she returned to her car and discovered the child, whom she rushed into the hospital. The child was pronounced dead.
While the temperature in Puyallup was only in the 70s, inside the car, the temperature rose to nearly 110 degrees, according to police.
Authorities said that the foster mother and family are cooperating with investigators. However, no charges have been filed as of Wednesday.
Two days later, on May 26, a 4-year-old boy was found dead in an unlocked parked car in Houston. The boy, along with a 2-year-old girl, had been playing outside when the pair entered a “disabled vehicle,” Houston police said.
Houston Police Commander Jonathan Halliday told reporters that it is unclear how long the children were in the car before family members found them there.
Both children were rushed to the hospital where the 4-year-old was pronounced dead. The 2-year-old is expected to recover. Police said that the investigation is ongoing but no arrests have been made.
Then, two days later, on May 28, an 11-month-old girl died after being left in the car while her parents attended Sunday church service in Palm Bay, Florida.
After receiving a report about an unresponsive infant in a vehicle, police arrived a the scene around 1:00 pm. The girl was taken to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead. According to police, the girl had been left in the car for three hours.
No arrests have been made as yet but the investigation is ongoing.
Last year, 33 children died of heat stroke from being left in hot vehicles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
