Louisiana Mother Indicted In 2-Year-Old's Hot Car Death 'Missing'; Police Seek Public Help

Police in Louisiana are looking for a "missing" woman who was wanted in connection with the death of her toddler son. The boy died of heatstroke last year after being left inside a hot car.

Natalie Broussard, 28, from Lafayette Parish, was indicted last month on second-degree murder for the death of her 2-year-old child, reported by KATC.com. The baby died in September 2020.

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office on Monday sought assistance from the public to locate Broussard.

Deputies were called to Broussard's house in Louisiana on Sept. 27, 2020. They found the body of the toddler inside Broussard's car, which was parked off Cameron Street. The autopsy report later revealed that the child died of heatstroke. A day after his death, the child's mother was arrested and charged with negligent homicide.

Broussard was initially held in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center reportedly on a $75,000 bond. It was not clear if she was released on bail after that. Officials did not reveal any other details regarding the case or the circumstances under which the woman went missing.

Anyone with any information regarding Broussard can contact the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office at (337) 232-9211, Crime Stoppers at (337) 232-TIPS(8477) or submit a tip on the Lafayette Sheriff App.

There were 25 child hot car deaths reported in the country last year, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Authority. In 2021, 11 children lost their lives in hot cars. A total of 896 children have died in hot cars since 1998 in the United States.

The majority of the hot car deaths, around 53%, were caused when someone forgets a child in a car. Another leading cause of vehicular heatstroke death was when children get into unattended vehicles, which were estimated to be 26% of cases. Studies have shown that the temperature inside a locked car can reach over 115 degrees even when the outside temperature is just 70 degrees.