A Florida pastor was arrested following the death of her 11-month-old daughter in a hot car.
Bulaine Molme, a co-founder and pastor at Mount of Olives Evangelical Baptist Church in Palm Bay, believed that her youngest child, Fendra Molme, had been brought into the church for a Sunday service. However, authorities revealed that the baby had been trapped inside the car on an 81-degree day.
According to the arrest affidavit, Molme, 37, arrived late to the service on May 28 with her four children, aged between 11 months and eight years, in her Ford Explorer. As she retrieved her Bible and laptop from the trunk, she witnessed her three older children entering the church with another church member. Presuming her youngest had been taken inside as well, which she considered the normal routine every Sunday, she proceeded with the service.
Molme didn’t park in her usual spot directly in front of the church entrance that day. Instead, she parked on the side of the building, unaware that her daughter had been left behind in the backseat. Neither Molme nor her husband, Jnmarc Molme, who was playing the piano during the service, realized Fendra was missing until the service concluded.
Distressed by the inquiries about their daughter’s whereabouts, the couple rushed to their vehicle. Tragically, they found Fendra unresponsive and limp in her car seat. The devastated mother immediately sought help while her husband began performing CPR. Fendra was rushed to Palm Bay Community Hospital, but despite efforts to revive her, she succumbed to hyperthermia caused by overheating, with her body temperature reaching a fatal 108 degrees.
Bulaine Molme was later arrested on suspicion of felony aggravated manslaughter of a child. Following her release from jail after posting a $15,000 bond, her arraignment is scheduled for June 27.
