Howard County Police have determined that the death of a 23-month-old Ellicott City girl, who was left for several hours in a car parked in front of her home, was “likely” accidental and have no plans to file charges.

Howard County Police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said the girls’ mother inadvertently left the small girl unattended in her car seat June 25 between about 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The mother eventually saw the child was still in the car and a neighbor called 911,  Llewellyn said. Paramedics pronounced the girl dead at the scene.

“We have not found anything criminal and we don’t anticipate filing charges,” Llewellyn said.

Police would not release the identity of the child or the mother, but said the mother was “very distraught” when the child was discovered in the car.

“The investigation to this point has revealed there was a change in routine for one of the child’s parents,” Llewellyn said. “It was not a typical morning for the parent.” She declined to elaborate.

Police said they were waiting for the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

In the wake of the death, the county Health Department this week issued a reminder to parents of the “extreme danger caused by leaving children or pets inside any vehicle in hot weather.” 

Last week’s death, the reminder stated, “dramatically underscores how quickly heatstroke and death can occur in a closed space.”

Dr. Maura Rossman, medical director of the Howard County Health Department, called the death “preventable.”

“This is, relatively speaking, a rare event. It does happen and it happens to people like me and you, as unbelieveable as it may seem ... We’re doing errands, we’re on our way to work. We get distracted and we just forget,” Rossman said.

A rare occurrence

Though often well-publicized, incidents of children dying while left alone in cars are rare, according to Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University, who studies hyperthermia deaths of children left in automobiles.

He said the Ellicott City death is the 15th reported such case in the country this year. For each of the 10 years before this year, the number varied from 30 to 47, he said.

Null said the temperature in Ellicott City that morning began at 43 degrees but rose to 86 degrees, meaning the temperature inside the vehicle was 130 degrees.

“A dashboard on an 86-degree day is going to be 180 degrees,” he said. “A car is the ultimate greenhouse.”
Hyperthermia, or heatstroke, occurs when a person’s temperature exceeds 104 degrees and his thermoregulatory mechanism is overwhelmed, Null said. A core body temperature of 107 degrees is considered lethal as cells are damaged and internal organs shut down, he added.

“Small children warm three to five times quicker than adults,” Null said. “Their system is not as efficient at cooling itself. Their systems become overwhelmed.”

Null’s nationwide study of 361 heatstroke deaths of children in cars revealed 51 percent were caused by a caregiver forgetting the child was in the car and 30 percent by a child playing in an unattended car. Another 18 percent were caused by a caregiver intentionally leaving the child in the car.

In about half of the deaths, 49 percent, prosecutors filed criminal charges, Null said. 

“It varies from jurisdiction based on the attitudes of the community and the prosecutors,” he said.

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user comments (24)

user cry83 says...

I just do not understand how any parent no matter what's going on can forget there kid. Being a new parent myself if I dont hear my kid i always go and check and see what is going on. I can't understand why after a few hours they didn't know there kid was not in the house. I understand making a mistake but I believe the parents were at fault here i can't believe you don't know know that your 2 year old was in the house.

Posted 11:02 PM, 06.30.09 | Permalink

user wetdry says...

You just answered your own question. The reason you don't understand how any parent can forget their kid is because you're a new parent. It's your first child. Wait until your 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 20th child, and you've aged a few more years, and let's see how unforgetful you may be of every single child you have.

Posted 11:51 PM, 06.30.09 | Permalink

user ravens530 says...

@wetdry: I have 3 kids and am 40 years old, but I don't share your casual attitude. There is something extremely wrong with anyone who can "forget" that they left their kid in the car. How charges are not being filed is beyond me--this is criminal negligence. And anyone contemplating their 10th or 20th kid needs to remember - it's a womb, not a clown car.

Posted 6:39 AM, 07.01.09 | Permalink

user lisbonite says...

There was a powerful piece in the post not too long ago about this type of incident. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html

Posted 6:45 AM, 07.01.09 | Permalink

user independent says...

The reason this can happen to so many people and would not happen to others is priority and engagement, and maybe brain chemicals. Some parents of small children mentally scan their memory on the whereabouts of the children thoughout the day and at times. through the night, particularly if the child is ill. COM-T is a brain chemical that induces worry, found in abundance in women. It's possible that this worry chemical prompts some parents to continually assure themselves through the day that the child is ok. The article referenced above states that this type of death is caused equally by mothers an fathers but we'd need more to determine if that is really true. If women are the primary caregivers in 65% of the situations, but share 50% of this type of death, then the worry mechanism may be a factor.

Posted 7:23 AM, 07.01.09 | Permalink

user rebecca says...

What a tragedy! It was caused by a change in routine,so what safety feature could be attached to a carseat to prevent this from happening again? A sensor to alert the driver of weight in the seat after the motor is turned off? There has to be a way to avoid this.

Posted 11:06 AM, 07.01.09 | Permalink

user elizabethdk says...

Hold on a minute here- what if this was the scenario? Imagine for a moment two very busy people who often switch off drop off and pick up responsibilities with each other- sometimes on a daily basis due to the exigencies of their jobs- Now imagine that one thought the other took the child into daycare and vice versa- neither actually forgot the child they just got their wires crossed- a terrible tragedy and one that will haunt them for the remainder of their lives but not an intentional or even forgetful crime. This is more a problem with our culture of "busy"ness- why are we having to pass laws about texting while driving? How easy would it be to kill someone just because you wanted to let someone else know you were running late? So my heart is broken for these parents because nothing can be worse than to lose your child because of something like this- I hope they will forgive themselves and take care of each other through what will be very difficult times.

Posted 2:23 PM, 07.01.09 | Permalink

user christianmother2 says...

My heart goes out the family of this child. They will be in my thoughts & prayers, how ever I Agree that there is a huge problem with society/culture, where everyone is in a rush an become negligent. In this case I do not understand how parents can allow themselves to leave their child in a car for such time. Iam a mother 3 children an as a mother an human being my mind no matter what is on my children. So I hope the excuse of a routine being off is not acceptable.

Posted 4:25 PM, 07.01.09 | Permalink

user angel2k says...

This is a tragedy and I'm certain the mother will carry this pain for the rest of her life. However, I'm curious as to secrecy surrounding the parent's identity. How many times does this uneventful act occurs and the parent is immediately thrust into the media spotlight? Why did this tragedy take so long to make the news? There have been others that have found themselves scrutinized by society and the media without ever being criminally charged or even found not guilty. Hmmmmm.

Posted 7:28 PM, 07.01.09 | Permalink

user elizabethdk says...

And what exactly would be served by having their names made public- could you make "their shame was all the worst could wish" - would you like to show up at their house and make them feel if possible even worse than they already do? Better legislate for an automatic sensor that sends a signal to someone (the parent, the closest local source of help) that is triggered when the car is stopped, the engine is turned off and the interior temperature rises above 80 degrees?

Posted 8:58 PM, 07.01.09 | Permalink

user independent says...

Leave a purse or briefcase beside the child when being strapped into the car seat, and this will be avoided. A relatively few number of these cases are experienced nationwide considering the nature of schedules and technological device demands, but avoiding all incidents is possible by employing this habit of leaving your lunch, purse, or similar item beside the child as stated by another article for those who have this tendency.

Posted 6:43 AM, 07.02.09 | Permalink

user bcarden says...

Tragic and I do feel very sad for the parents and even more for the suffering the baby endured in that hot car. I think leaving item beside the child could be helpful but then again if you could forget a child you could certainly forget your purse, lunch etc. I like the idea of a sensor in carseat after car is turned off. The best suggestion I've heard was from a friend that had children and she said no matter if she had children that day or not every single time she got out of her car she made it a habit to check the back seat. It only takes a minute.

Posted 5:57 PM, 07.02.09 | Permalink

user billybob says...

--We’re doing errands, we’re on our way to work. We get distracted and we just forget,” Rossman said.-- NO Rossman, we ALL DO NOT FORGET THAT WE PUT OUR INFANT CHILD IN A LOCKED CAR IN THE HOT SUN AND SHE DIED !!! Also, ANYTIME A PERSON DIES A CHARGE SHOULD BE MADE WHEN "NEGLIGENCE" IS INVOLVED. THIS ONE IS CALLED INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER !! Someone is pulling strings not for charges to be made on this one.

Posted 6:00 PM, 07.02.09 | Permalink

user dannyangel says...

We all lead busy lives these days, but there is NO EXCUSE for deaths like this to continue. I feel for the parents, but maybe a little time in the slammer will teach them to slow down a bit...

Posted 11:38 AM, 07.03.09 | Permalink

user observer says...

I'm not sure this is a call that the local police or State's Attorney should get to make--at very least something this serious needs to go before a grand jury. The Washington Post piece by Gene Weingarten is compelling reading, if you can bring yourself to read it. Link: http://tinyurl.com/lpfmpz

Posted 11:30 PM, 07.03.09 | Permalink

user elkmain says...

Interesting that this parent can be let off scott free for absolute negligence, but the person who had two cats die in a freezer is going to be charged???????? Wow, what have we come to? The life of a cat is more important than a child! That negligence of this sort can be written off as an accident. The drunk didn't mean to kill the other person either, the jilted lover didn't intend to kill the girlfriend either, but these individuals are in jail. I have children and if you leave your children in the car you should never have had children in the first place, period. If your cell phone, or dry cleaning distracts you from your child you are an absolute degenerate and deserve what you get, and that includes prison time.

Posted 7:31 AM, 07.04.09 | Permalink

user laurann says...

I think anyone who feels strongly about this should read the Washington Post article mentioned above by lisbonite. I totally had the attitude that this could never happen with me and that charges should be made to any parent that would let this happen. After reading the article ("Fatal Distraction") I am really thinking differently about this tragedy. Routine and distracion are powerful factors. Putting a parent in prison, when they are already suffering the most sever pain imaginable, will not keep this from happening---this was a horrendous horrifying accident. The different parents mentioned in the article would all have said it could never happen to me.

Posted 3:43 PM, 07.04.09 | Permalink

user mustang04gt says...

I feel very sad for the family, I could not imagine losing a child by my own doing. With that being said, why did it take so long for this to come out? Who are these people that the police have been protecting? I am very concerned the police seem to be covering this up. Any one have answers?

Posted 7:29 PM, 07.04.09 | Permalink

user canman says...

As you may have noticed, children in and around cars tend to die at horrendous rates. The fact is that cars are involved as the number one killer of our young ages 2-33. That's right the number one killer of our young. Please be very careful out there.

Posted 8:24 PM, 07.04.09 | Permalink

user lockandload70 says...

There is NO EXCUSE for this. Someone should PRESS charges since the officials won't do the job! Life is full of changes in routine. You don't forget a doctors appt., or to take a prescribed medication for 30 days -not part of the routine... you don't forget to take the trash out on the Holiday schedule -a break from the weekly routine.. you don't forget to feed a new pet, or make a car payment when you buy a new car and you haven't ever had to before..you don't forget to pick up the slack and do other famiily members chores when they have to be away..what about shift workers -the routine is constantly changing. What about when you start a new job and you have to be there by 7AM and all your life you when to a job that started at 9AM -Change in routine my ASS. People don't have priorities -or they aren't straight. No wonder people don't see animals when they run them over in the middle of the street -no wonder people aren't aware of their surroundings, no wonder no one feels responsible for themselves anymore -with accountability like this its NO WONDER the WORLD is going to HELL in a HANDBASKET!

Posted 8:11 AM, 07.05.09 | Permalink

user tko4ever says...

Assuming the child did not access the car on their own, I wonder HOW any sane person can dismiss any liability for this "parent". I would be interested to know how it takes several hours do wonder "hey, where is my child". Parenting is not a right, it is a priviledge. It would be only reasonable to ask for the responsible parties to act that way. An absolute tragedy whatever the case but it is compounded by the apparent circumstances!

Posted 12:54 PM, 07.06.09 | Permalink

user penelope says...

This is a tragedy for the parents. But, what distracted the mother that she left her child unattended in a car seat for 9 hours? This is negligence not a mistake and should not be treated casually.

Posted 7:46 PM, 07.06.09 | Permalink

user dlc23 says...

this current generation of parents is an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. My generation is an "out of sight, where's my child" mentality. no mom, who is putting being a parent first, forgets where her child is.

Posted 10:07 PM, 07.06.09 | Permalink

user dmkmjr says...

I've never posted a comment online before, but I figured this would be the best time as I feel so strongly about this tragedy. I as a mother of a 23 month old child, can't imagine ever leaving/forgetting my child in a carseat for 8 hrs. Change of routine/busy not an excuse. I work full time and go to school part time and juggle many other activities as well. My fiance and I also take turns w/ taking/picking up our son from daycare and not once or will this ever happen. I can only imagine the pain/suffering/confusion the child suffered in the heated car. I know the parents will suffer from the loss of their baby, but they without a doubt should face criminal charges. Who put the child in the carseat? How could this happen unintentionally while the mother is in the house the whole day. This whole situation infuriates me...they need to be held responsible for their carelessness. As a mother of a 2 yr. old, their absence never goes un-noticed.

Posted 3:49 PM, 07.15.09 | Permalink