One-year-old boy dies after relative locked him inside hot pickup truck and 'forgot he was there'
A one-year-old boy was found dead inside a blisteringly hot pickup truck in southwest Albuquerque on Sunday evening.
Police have described the death as 'a very tragic incident' and one that occurred while the child was supposed to be under the supervision of a male relative who authorities say, simply forgot he was there.
'It's obviously a tragedy. But a one-year-old - it's really difficult to fathom,' said Albuquerque Police Department Public Information Officer Gilbert Gallegos
The child's parents dropped him off around 10:30am leaving him in the care of a young adult relative.
But what should have been a routine day turned to horror when that relative left the child in the back seat of his vehicle, parked in the sun with the windows closed.
It wasn't until almost six hours later at 5pm that someone realized the baby was missing.
Family members contacted the caregiver to ask where the child was, prompting a frantic search - and a heartbreaking discovery.
'They realized the child wasn't inside the home,' Gallegos said at a press briefing.
Family members were devastated after a one-year-old child died after being left in a hot car
Police were on the scene but were unable to revive the baby boy who passed away
'Family members may have started CPR, but Albuquerque Fire Rescue took over. They tried for a long time to revive the child. Unfortunately, the child died at the scene.'
Although the official cause of death is pending an autopsy, police say all signs point to heatstroke.
'I know the family was really devastated at the scene,' Gallegos said. 'It was a pretty large extended family. So I ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers and be respectful of what they're going through right now.'
The neighborhood has been left stunned by the horror of what happened.
The National Weather Service estimates the interior of the parked vehicle could have reached more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit even though Albuquerque's high on Sunday was around 83 degrees. The closed car turned the vehicle into a oven.
According to experts, 80 percent of a car's temperature rise occurs in the first 10 minutes, making such tragedies horrifyingly quick.
'It doesn't have to be that hot outside for it to be deadly,' Gallegos stressed. 'Being in a hot truck with the windows up can get extremely hot after just a little bit of time.'
As temperatures rise with the warmer weather experts are once again urging vigilance.
The entire street was closed off while police carried out their investigation
Police have described the death as 'a very tragic incident' and one that occurred while the child was supposed to be under the supervision of a male relative who authorities say, simply forgot he was there
'A child's body overheats three to five times faster than an adult's,' Gallegos said. 'Even at 72 degrees outside, the inside of a car can become deadly in minutes.'
Kids and Car Safety is pushing for more widespread use of technology like rear-seat reminders in vehicles, and greater public awareness campaigns - especially in states like New Mexico, where summer heat can strike with lethal speed.'
'Check the back seat,' Gallegos urged. 'Always.'
'The temperature the car can hit can go over 115 degrees - and in many cases, even higher. These situations happen at least once a year, and in some years, multiple times,' said Paul Szych, a public safety expert with KOAT.
Despite the devastating outcome, no arrests have been made but police say the case remains under investigation and that they've been working closely with the local district attorney and the Children, Youth and Families Department.
The young caregiver, who initially fled the scene before returning, has been interviewed but is not currently facing charges.
Despite the devastating outcome, no arrests have been made but police say the case remains under investigation
'His relatives speculated that he was just traumatized,' Gallegos said. 'They said he was a good person, but he was just in shock when this happened.'
Authorities have also confirmed that there is no prior history of child abuse or neglect involving the family.
According to the national nonprofit Kids and Car Safety, the death of the Albuquerque child marks the fourth hot car death of a child in the US this year.
Since 1990, at least 1,127 children have died in hot cars across the country and more than 7,500 have suffered injuries ranging from heat exhaustion to severe brain damage.
Nearly 90 percent of the victims are under the age of 3. In over half of those cases, the child was unknowingly left behind by a parent or caregiver.
'The problem is, people jump to the conclusion that a parent left a child in the vehicle,' said Valencia County Fire Chief Matt Propp. 'But a lot of times, it's somebody who's not accustomed to having a child with them - a family member, a friend. And those few hours - that's all it takes.'
Propp also voiced his frustration with bystanders who hesitate to intervene when they see a child trapped in a hot vehicle.
'The recurring theme we hear is: "Why didn't you break the window? I didn't want to get sued." But the alternative is so much worse.'
