A 1-year-old girl has died in Homestead, Florida, after being left for about eight hours in a parked car that grew steadily hotter. The child was in the care of 22-year-old Keyner Vazquez De Leon, who was supposed to take her to a babysitter. Instead, he returned to his own home and forgot about the girl. He learned of the tragedy only after a phone call from the child’s mother. The 22-year-old was arrested and charged.
The incident occurred on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Homestead, Florida. According to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office report, Vazquez De Leon had been regularly driving the girl from her home to a babysitter for about a year. He did so six days a week, Monday through Saturday. The man was not related to the child, but her family had entrusted him with her daily transportation.
At about 6:45 a.m. Saturday, the 22-year-old picked up the girl as usual. He then drove another person to work. After finishing that trip, he returned to his home. He forgot that the child was still in his car.
According to investigators, Vazquez De Leon turned off the car’s engine and went into the house, leaving the child inside the vehicle. At about 9 a.m., he began washing other cars on his property. For the next several hours, he did household chores, unaware that the girl was still in the parked car.
Only at about 3 p.m. did the child’s mother call him, asking where her daughter was. The 22-year-old then reportedly realized that he had not taken the girl to the babysitter. He ran straight to the car, where he found the child in her car seat, already unconscious. He then carried her into the house and called 911.
Homestead police officers and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics were sent to the scene. When officers arrived at the address, paramedics were already attempting to resuscitate the girl. Despite their efforts, the 1-year-old could not be saved. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 22-year-old was arrested and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He faces three charges: aggravated manslaughter of a child under 18, leaving a child under 6 unattended in a vehicle, and neglect resulting in great bodily harm.
Editor: JŁ
Source: Słoneczne Radio
