ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Police say a 71-year-old grandmother could be facing serious felony charges after they say she left her 2-year-old granddaughterinside a hot car in a Walmart parking lot while she shopped inside.
Police were alerted after a woman walking in the parking lot spotted the child and called 911.
"There is a Dodge Charger, sitting in the handicapped spot, running, with a child asleep in the backseat," the caller said in 911 calls released to FOX 17.
"There’s no adult present and the car is running. I’m a little concerned about leaving a child alone in a car, in a parking lot.”
Kent County Sheriff's Deputy Anthony Ysquierdo said when he arrived to the vehicle parked in the Walmart parking lot on Alpine Avenue on Saturday, he could see the toddler was sweating, bright red and unconscious.
Experts say it only takes 10-20 minutes on a sunny 75 degree day before temperatures inside a vehicle can become dangerous, or even deadly for small children. The temperature Saturday evening was 78 degrees.
“What people don’t realize is that it doesn’t have to be a hot day," said Jennifer Hoekstra, injury prevention coordinator with Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. "As that sun beats down on the vehicle, it truly just encapsulates in the vehicle."
Hoekstra said unintended injuries, like leaving a child in a vehicle causing heat stroke, is the leading cause of death in children.
“Seven children have already died this year in the U.S. because they’ve been left alone in a hot vehicle," she said. "It is definitely a preventable injury, we know that parents can do this differently."
Last year, 24 children were killed after being left inside hot vehicles, according to data collected by San Jose State University. More than 300 have died in the past decade.
Police said the grandmother will likely face a misdemeanor charge for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. The child was treated for heat exhaustion, but if it can be proven the child suffered injuries, the grandmother could face felony charges, according to authorities.
Witnesses said the grandmother told police she left the toddler inside the car because she had just fallen asleep and didn't want to wake her up. Police said the grandmother was watching the toddler because the child's mother was out of town for the weekend.
