A Louisiana father has been charged with second-degree murder after leaving his 21-month-old daughter in a hot car for more than nine hours, police said.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said Joseph Boatman, a 32-year-old Hammond resident, was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center after his daughter was discovered dead inside his vehicle on Sunday.

The Context

This case highlights the ongoing danger of vehicular heatstroke involving children in the United States.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 39 deaths from vehicular heatstroke among children last year. The number represents an increase from 2023, when 29 children died in a hot vehicle.

Toddler Discovered Dead After 9 Hours

Deputies were called to a residence in the area of Madisonville, Louisiana, shortly before noon after a family member found the young girl unresponsive inside a vehicle. Investigators said the toddler had been left alone in the car for more than nine hours as outdoor temperatures soared above 100 degrees.

Timeline and Investigation

Authorities learned that Boatman had picked up his daughter from a relative’s home around 2:30 a.m. and strapped her into her car seat.

Boatman then returned inside the residence and did not return to the vehicle, police said.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said Boatman had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages before he arrived to pick up the child.

What People Are Saying

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith, in a statement: “This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face. When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking”

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, in a statement on National Heatstroke Prevention Day: “There is no excuse for leaving a child in a parked vehicle. Every parent, sibling, relative, and babysitter needs to understand the severity of doing so – it’s the only way we can prevent more of these heartbreaking losses of life.”

What Happens Next

Boatman is being held on a $750,000 bond.

The NHTSA offers several tips to help keep children safe, including locking a vehicle when it is not in use, never leaving a child alone in a vehicle and checking the entire vehicle, especially the backseat, before locking up and walking away.

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