Each case is different. But there’s always that awful moment when the parent realizes what they’ve done. There’s a desperate sprint to the car. A nightmarish discovery. A gut-wrenching call to 911.
Each incident has its own painful backstory. In Florida this past month, an 11-month-old baby died in a scorching van, after her mother rushed off to officiate church services. In New York City, a VA Hospital employee worked his full eight-hour shift before returning to his car to find his twin daughter and son dead. In several similar cases, a parent drove from their office to pick up their child at daycare — only to later check the backseat and find their child there, passed away.