Six-month-old child dies in hot car after ‘neighbour forgot about him’
A six-month-old baby has tragically died after allegedly being left in a hot car by a neighbour.
Travis Carter Jr was pronounced dead at the scene in Cordes Lakes, Arizona, US, at around 9pm on Tuesday (30 July).
He was found in the back seat of a neighbour's car, after they claimed to have forgotten to drop him back with his father.
The neighbour, identified as a teenager, has since been arrested and charged with negligent homicide.
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According to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, Travis's mother, Aleesia Phillips, had asked the teenager to drive her to Prescott Valley which is a half-hour car ride within the state of Arizona.
Aleesia took Travis with her, but after he fell asleep, she allegedly told the neighbour to drop him back at his father's house when she went off to work.
The neighbour then set off back home, arriving at around 2pm and parking the car in their driveway.
Police said that they 'parked the car exposed in the hot sun and went into their house, claiming to forget about the baby in the car'.
Almost seven hours later, at 8:45pm, it's reported that Travis, the baby's dad, called Aleesia, asking what time he could expect the neighbour to drop his son off.
Only then did the couple realise what was going on, and that the baby had allegedly been left in the car for all these hours.
Police said: "The neighbour ran next door to the father’s house and both the father and neighbour pulled the baby out of the car, called 911 and tried CPR."
On Thursday (1 August), the juvenile was charged and hasn't been named due to their age.
Authorities said there is an ongoing investigation into the circumstances of the child's death.
Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence as Kids and Car Safety recorded at least 1,083 hot car deaths between 1990 and 2023, with 29 deaths taking place last year and 36 in 2022.
A GoFundMe for the boy's memorial has been set up and reads: "Travis Carter Jr., parents Aleesia Phillips and Travis Carter could use financial support with funeral/memorial costs.
"If you cannot donate please share. Prayers are very welcome during this very devastating time."
At the time of writing, it has raised $2,675 out of its $10,000 target.
If you wish to donate, you can do so here.
Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said: "After Deputies and the Fire department arrived on the scene, they immediately confirmed the 6-month-old baby was deceased. Criminal Investigations arrived a short time later and gained the following information. The child’s mother asked a neighbor for a ride into Prescott Valley, along with her 6-month-old baby. On the way back from Prescott Valley the baby fell asleep in the car seat in the back seat of the neighbor’s car. The neighbor was asked to drop the baby off with his father who would be home shortly. The neighbor arrived home at around 2:00 PM parked the car exposed in the hot sun and went into their house, claiming to forget about the baby in the car. The father of the baby contacted the mother around 8:45 PM asking when the neighbor was going to deliver the baby to him. The mother, still at work, immediately called the neighbor responsible for her baby, it was then the neighbor realized that the baby was left in the car. The neighbor ran next door to the father's house and both the father and neighbor pulled the baby out of the car, called 911 and tried CPR. The baby had been left in the car seat strapped in the back seat of the neighbor’s car for approximately seven hours. The Medical Examiner responded to the scene to conduct their investigation of the deceased baby. Criminal Investigations has an ongoing investigation into the circumstances and will be submitting the case to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office."
Joshua Nair