According to police, the dad forgot to drop his son off in the morning and accidentally left him in the backseat all-day

A toddler passed away after his father forgot to drop him off at daycare, unknowingly leaving him in the car, according to police.

The one-year-old was in his dad’s car for the entirety of Wednesday (6 November), and was sadly pronounced dead later.

It has been reported by several US news outlets, including ABC Action News, that the father had made the horrific discovery when he went to pick his son up from Bayfront Child Development Center, St. Petersburg, after work.

After speaking to employees at the day care after 5pm, he realised that he never dropped his son off, as per PEOPLE.

The dad forgot to drop him off in the morning, leaving the child in a parked car, according to police (Getty Stock Photo)

Emergency services were called to the car park, where they attempted to carry out CPR to save the child, but he was pronounced dead on the scene, report FOX 13.

Investigators believe that the toddler was in the vehicle all day.

Yolanda Fernandez, a spokesperson for the St. Petersburg Police Department, further told the outlet that after speaking to staff: “The father kind of realised what was going on and went back out to the car.”

She continued to say that the father forgot to drop his son off as he was brought along to an appointment, which was not part of their usual routine.

He was meant to drop the boy at Bayfront before going back home, where he works, as division chief of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, Linsay Judah, told FOX 13 that it takes just ten minutes for the inside of a vehicle to become ’20 degrees (6.66°C) hotter’, while the doors are shut.

An autopsy is underway, with police searching for the exact details behind the one-year-old’s death to determine if any charges will be filed, ABC Action News reports.

Cars can get several degrees hotter when left off, parked, and with no air conditioning (Getty Stock Photo)

Judah further revealed to FOX 13 that the last time the local Fire Rescue saw a similar death was back in 2017, as she has urged drivers to ‘create reminders’ when a child is in the car.

She said that it should be specific, so that they are prompted ‘to look back in the back seat’, before getting out.

The fire division chief said that putting the ‘child’s shoe’, or a soft toy in the front seat could make all the difference in stopping anything like this from happening again.

She concluded: “That is our action that we’re asking our parents and caregivers to take. Take action.”

Updated 17:29 4 Aug 2024 GMT+1Published 12:22 4 Aug 2024 GMT+1

Six-month-old child dies in hot car after ‘neighbour forgot about him’

Travis Carter Jr was found dead in the back seat of his neighbour’s car

A six-month-old baby has tragically died after allegedly being left in a hot car by a neighbour.

Travis Carter Jr was pronounced dead at the scene in Cordes Lakes, Arizona, US, at around 9pm on Tuesday (30 July).

He was found in the back seat of a neighbour’s car, after they claimed to have forgotten to drop him back with his father.

The neighbour, identified as a teenager, has since been arrested and charged with negligent homicide.

In August, Arizona can see highs of 40°C. (Getty Stock Image)

According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Travis’s mother, Aleesia Phillips, had asked the teenager to drive her to Prescott Valley which is a half-hour car ride within the state of Arizona.

Aleesia took Travis with her, but after he fell asleep, she allegedly told the neighbour to drop him back at his father’s house when she went off to work.

The neighbour then set off back home, arriving at around 2pm and parking the car in their driveway.

Police said that they ‘parked the car exposed in the hot sun and went into their house, claiming to forget about the baby in the car’.

Almost seven hours later, at 8:45pm, it’s reported that Travis, the baby’s dad, called Aleesia, asking what time he could expect the neighbour to drop his son off.

Only then did the couple realise what was going on, and that the baby had allegedly been left in the car for all these hours.

The child was just six months old. (Getty Stock Image)

Police said: “The neighbour ran next door to the father’s house and both the father and neighbour pulled the baby out of the car, called 911 and tried CPR.”

On Thursday (1 August), the juvenile was charged and hasn’t been named due to their age.

Authorities said there is an ongoing investigation into the circumstances of the child’s death.

Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence as Kids and Car Safety recorded at least 1,083 hot car deaths between 1990 and 2023, with 29 deaths taking place last year and 36 in 2022.

A GoFundMe for the boy’s memorial has been set up and reads: “Travis Carter Jr., parents Aleesia Phillips and Travis Carter could use financial support with funeral/memorial costs.

“If you cannot donate please share. Prayers are very welcome during this very devastating time.”

At the time of writing, it has raised $2,675 out of its $10,000 target.

If you wish to donate, you can do so here.

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said: “After Deputies and the Fire department arrived on the scene, they immediately confirmed the 6-month-old baby was deceased. Criminal Investigations arrived a short time later and gained the following information. The child’s mother asked a neighbor for a ride into Prescott Valley, along with her 6-month-old baby. On the way back from Prescott Valley the baby fell asleep in the car seat in the back seat of the neighbor’s car. The neighbor was asked to drop the baby off with his father who would be home shortly. The neighbor arrived home at around 2:00 PM parked the car exposed in the hot sun and went into their house, claiming to forget about the baby in the car. The father of the baby contacted the mother around 8:45 PM asking when the neighbor was going to deliver the baby to him. The mother, still at work, immediately called the neighbor responsible for her baby, it was then the neighbor realized that the baby was left in the car. The neighbor ran next door to the father’s house and both the father and neighbor pulled the baby out of the car, called 911 and tried CPR. The baby had been left in the car seat strapped in the back seat of the neighbor’s car for approximately seven hours. The Medical Examiner responded to the scene to conduct their investigation of the deceased baby. Criminal Investigations has an ongoing investigation into the circumstances and will be submitting the case to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office.”