A 21-month-old child has died after his father allegedly left him in a hot car for nearly nine hours. According to a report by PEOPLE Magazine, the incident occurred on June 8 in front of a house in Madisonville, Louisiana, US. The temperature that day reached 94°F (or 34°C), while the heat index hit 104°F (40°C).
Joseph Boatman, 32, the child's father, allegedly took his child from a relative's house around 2:30 a.m. and placed him in a car seat inside the car. He then returned to the house. It's unclear why he did this, but according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, Boatman had been drinking a lot of alcohol that night.
Around noon, a relative noticed the child missing and immediately called the police. The child was found unconscious in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Sheriff Randy Smith, “This is a tragedy that no one would ever want to experience. When a child is left in a car, especially in temperatures over 100 degrees, it can be a situation that can quickly lead to death.”
Boatman is now facing a second-degree murder charge and is currently in police custody. His bail has been set at $750,000 or approximately ₱42 million.
