Georgia: Baby Left In Hot Car Dies After Grandparents Forget To Take Him Out

In yet another case of a baby left in a hot car, an 11-month-old boy named Jaxon died in Georgia on Saturday after his grandparents forgot him in a hot car. According to CNN, the grandparents, identified as Kyle and Meta Hendershot, forgot the baby in a hot car for over two hours. By the time they realized their mistake, it was too late.

Initial reports say that the grandparents were babysitting the child on Saturday while the child’s mother, an emergency room nurse, was sleeping at home after her night shift.

According to Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson, the grandparents, another grandchild, and another adult woman — believed to be the Hendershots’ daughter — took the baby with them to the local church. It was after returning home from the church trip that all of them forgot about the baby and left him in the car. It was only after the child’s mother woke up and asked for the baby that they realized that the baby was still in the car. All the adults accompanying the child seem to have lacked proper communication, and each of them thought the baby was with the other and did not bother to double check if he was safe.

This miscommunication proved fatal for the baby, KTLA reports.

Realizing that her baby is still in the car, the mother rushed out to check on her baby and quickly opened the vehicle, only to find her worst fear had become true. She attempted CPR on the baby, who was unresponsive when she found him. Emergency responders reached the spot a few minutes later and tried reviving the baby with no success. The baby was taken to a nearby medical facility where he was pronounced dead.

It was 3 p.m. local time by the time the mom had woken up and by then, the baby was inside the hot car for over two hours. In the sweltering 90 degree heat, the temperature inside the car would have reached well over 131 to 172 degrees in a matter of minutes, Wilson revealed.

“It appears that there were other things on their mind. There was a lack of communication within the three adults. They assumed that one of the others had brought in the child and laid him down. They didn’t communicate who would get the child.”, Wilson said.

No charges have been filed against the grandparents, and investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy before they issue any further updates pertaining to the case.

The baby’s mother has posted a Facebook update in which she has appealed for financial help to help overcome the loss. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up as well.

Jaxon is the 19th child to die in the U.S. this year after being left in a hot car.

[Images Via Wikimedia Commons, Facebook]