A 2-year-old girl has died after her father left her in a hot car in Arizona, where residents are enduring triple-digit temperatures, according to authorities.
The father was running errands with his daughter, and when he returned home Tuesday afternoon, he allegedly knowingly left the 2-year-old in the car, Marana Police Capt. Tim Brunenkant told ABC News.
He left the car running and the air conditioning on, Brunenkant said.
The dad went into the house, and when he returned to the car between 30 and 60 minutes later, the car was off, Brunenkant said.
The 2-year-old was unresponsive and the dad called 911, Brunenkant said. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.
The temperature in Marana reached a scorching 111 degrees on Tuesday. Marana is just outside of Tucson, where an excessive heat warning has been issued.
Brunenkant called the death a “heat-related tragedy.”
No charges have been filed at this time but charges have not been ruled out, Brunenkant said Wednesday.
Interviews are underway and police are looking for surveillance video in the neighborhood, he said.
At least nine children have died in hot cars across the U.S. so far this year, according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org.
Since 1990, at least 1,093 children have died in hot cars — and about 88% of those kids are 3 years old or younger, according to KidsAndCars.org.
Click here for hot car safety tips to keep in mind this summer.
