A Louisiana father is facing a second-degree murder charge after allegedly leaving his 1-year-old daughter in a hot car for more than nine hours, leading to her death, according to authorities.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that 32-year-old Joseph Boatman consumed “multiple alcoholic beverages” before picking up his 21-month-old daughter from a relative’s home shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Boatman allegedly buckled the toddler into her car seat, returned to a home in Madisonville, and did not go back to the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
More than nine hours later, deputies were called to the home after a family member found the girl unresponsive in the car. The temperature in Madisonville reached 95 degrees that day, with a heat index of 105 degrees.
“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said in a statement. “When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”
Boatman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
According to Kids and Cars, a national nonprofit, the girl is the fifth child to die in a hot car in the U.S. so far this year. On average, 38 children die annually in hot car incidents, and about 88% of them are 3 years old or younger.
(ABC News)
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