A 14-month-old baby died in searing heat in an oven-like car after her grandmother forgot to take her to nursery school and left her there all day.
This is according to the police, who said that Chyasia Evans died after being left in the hot car all day in Smithtown, on Long Island, in New York, USA, on Monday, 31st July.
The Suffolk County Police said in a statement that the 14-month-old toddler was supposed to be dropped off at a daycare centre in Redwood Lane by her unnamed grandmother.
About eight hours later, the police said that the grandmother arrived at the daycare centre to pick up her granddaughter and realised that the child had been left in the parked vehicle.
The little girl was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
A vigil was held on Tuesday at the parking spot where the young girl died, according to local media.
Among those in attendance was the young girl’s mother, who has been named as Jessica Watkins, and she was seen clutching an Elmo doll.
Watkins said: “I know you’re going to be my guardian angel. I’ll love you until we meet again, my baby.”
She added: “I am so defeated. I don’t know what to do.”
Chyasia’s aunt, unnamed, told local media that the young girl’s temperature had reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) by the time she was found in the car.
She also said that the daycare centre did not notify the family that the child had not been dropped off.
The temperature in Smithtown on Monday was 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius), according to local media.
No charges had been filed at the time of writing.
The investigation is ongoing.
