Toddler dies after being left in hot car for hours in Georgia, coroner says

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM/Gray News) – A 3-year-old was found dead inside the back of an SUV parked outside a Wendy’s restaurant in Georgia Sunday night.

According to the coroner’s office, the boy died from asphyxiation from being left in a hot vehicle.

“Just be aware. Just be aware. If you’re an adult, be responsible,” Coroner Buddy Bryan told WTVM. “The children are innocent. They can’t help themselves, and when you have a child that puts the responsibility on you.”

Bryan said the child’s grandmother realized he was missing around 8 p.m. The toddler, his grandmother and several other kids had been out and about all day and made several stops.

The family returned home around 5:30 p.m., but the toddler never got out of the SUV.

When the grandmother realized she had not seen the boy, she called the child’s uncle who was using the vehicle to make an ice cream run.

WTVM says that’s when the uncle found the 3-year-old in the third-row seat of a Nissan SUV parked in the Wendy’s parking lot.

Police say it is unclear if anyone will face charges for the boy’s death.

According to SafeKids Columbus, this is the seventh child to die in a hot car this year and the second in Georgia.

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