Arizona Infant Dies After Dad Leaves Her Alone Inside Hot Car To Smoke Marijuana

An 18-month-old girl was found dead after she was left alone in the backseat of a car by her father. The Incident took place at Kingman, Arizona, in May 2019.

The baby, identified as Madison Martin, was trapped inside a car on a hot day for about 45 to 60 minutes as her father had gone out to smoke marijuana and play video games.

The baby’s father, identified as 23-year-old Ty Martin, had parked the vehicle outside his friend’s home. After returning to the car, Martin and his friend, identified as Noah Grabowski, found Madison unresponsive in her seat and contacted emergency services.

Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and performed CPR on the baby, however, they were unable to revive her. The child was then transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Autopsy reports stated the cause of the infant’s death was severe dehydration and hyperthermia caused due to prolonged exposure to hot weather.

Martin was initially charged with manslaughter. However, his charges were later amended to second-degree murder. He could face up to 13 to 27 years in prison or life imprisonment if he is found guilty of second-degree murder of his daughter.

"Although it's still an accidental death, it relates to the amount of recklessness displayed and the extreme indifference to the child," said Deputy County Attorney Megan McCoy.

Lake Havasu City Police described Madison’s death as "tragic” and mentioned that it was “completely avoidable”.

The father had told officers that he wasn’t sure if the air conditioner was turned on or if he had left the car running. He also admitted to using marijuana and playing games while the child was alone in the vehicle.

Grabowski was later arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, and cultivation of marijuana.

During a court hearing that took place on Thursday, Martin's lawyers were granted funds to hire a forensic pathologist in order to investigate the infant’s death as they did not want to rely on evidence collected by prosecutors. Martin’s next court hearing has been scheduled for April 17.