3-Year-Old Foster Boy 'Mistakenly' Left Alone In Hot Car, Dies

A 3-year-old boy in foster care was found dead after he was “mistakenly” left alone in a hot car in South Carolina, authorities said.

The incident took place Wednesday. Authorities responded to a heat-related death report around 5.45 p.m. at 200 block of North Lanford Road in Spartanburg, police said. The guardian of the child said that the boy was left in the car by “mistake.”

She told investigators that she thought she had dropped the boy along with the other children at a daycare but didn't realize that he hadn't gone inside with them until later that day, ABC News reported.

The guardian said she called 911 when she found the boy in the back of her SUV, according to police.

The preliminary autopsy report, according to a statement from Spartanburg Coroner Rusty Clevenger, revealed that the child died from the heat while being left unattended in the vehicle, WLTX reported.

The investigation is ongoing but it appears that the boy's death was accidental, police said.

The child’s identity was not revealed by police. Authorities are now trying to reach the biological mother of the boy to inform her about the incident.

On the day of the boy’s death, Spartanburg recorded a high temperature of 92 degrees.

"With an outside air temperature of approximately 85 degrees, the inside air temperature of the car could have been in excess of 130 degrees," Jan Null, a research meteorologist at San Jose State University, was quoted as saying by Associated Press. "Objects or a person inside the car in direct sunlight would have been significantly hotter," he added.

According to Kids and Car Safety, six children died in hot car-related scenarios in 2021, including the 3-year-old from Spartanburg. Authorities estimate that nearly 1,000 children died nationwide in hot cars since 1990.

"Hot car deaths continue to take place because nobody believes this could happen to them," Janette Fennell, president of Kids and Car Safety, was cited as saying by ABC news.

"The unfortunate reality is that this has happened to even the most loving, responsible, and attentive parents. Factors such as fatigue, stress, or a sudden change in routine can contribute to parents unknowingly leaving a child alone in a car," Fennell added.