In Smithtown, Long Island, New York, a 14-month-old toddler tragically lost her life after being inadvertently left in a car for eight hours.
Suffolk County police reports indicate that the child’s grandmother, who was supposed to drop the toddler off at a daycare center on Redwood Lane, forgot to do so before heading to her workplace. Upon returning to her jeep eight hours later, intending to collect the child from daycare, she discovered the child still in the vehicle.
The toddler, identified as Chyasia Evans, was immediately taken to a local hospital where she was declared dead.
A vigil was organized at the location of the incident. During the gathering, Jessica Watkins, Chyasia’s mother, expressed her grief, mentioning her daughter would now be her guardian angel.
Information from Chyasia’s aunt revealed that the child’s body temperature had escalated to 106 degrees when discovered. Notably, the daycare did not alert the family about the child’s absence that day. The day’s peak temperature in Smithtown was recorded at 83 degrees.
The incident is under investigation by detectives from the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad. So far, no legal charges have been pressed related to the incident.
Statistics from the US Department of Transportation highlight that around 40 children in the US succumb to heatstroke annually due to being left in vehicles. Most incidents involve caregivers or parents unintentionally leaving the child behind.
