A mother and father in Lakeland left their 18-month-old daughter in a hot car overnight, which killed her, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Joel and Jazmine Rondon, both 33, have been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.
The couple had three small children with them at the party, and when they were arriving home, the sheriff said Jazmine told her husband to take the 18-month-old inside while she brought the two older children inside.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said both parents drank alcohol and smoked marijuana when they were at a Fourth of July party.
Judd said after bringing in some food items, Joel assumed his wife had brought the toddler inside after seeing the car doors closed.
The family went to bed and discovered their daughter dead in the car the next morning.
At a news conference, the sheriff said both parents were tested 17 hours after arriving home from the party, and they both tested positive for marijuana and alcohol. Joel also tested positive for methamphetamine, the sheriff said.
“So, you can imagine what kind of shape they were in when they arrived from the party and left this child harnessed in the baby seat in the back of the car,” Sheriff Judd said. “This child is 18 months. old. She’s not old enough to let herself out of the harness. But she is certainly old enough to realize she is suffering a torturous death.”
Stories like this have unfortunately increased over the years.
According to Noheatstrokedot.org, 950 children have died in hot cars in the US since 1998. There have been 10 so far in 2023.
It’s important to know that heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees, and a child can die when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees.
It’s important for parents and caregivers to understand safeguards to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Never leave a child in the car unattended for any period of time.Make it a habit to check your entire car before leaving, especially the back seat.Ask your child care provider to call if your child doesn’t show up for care as expected.Place a personal item, such as a purse or briefcase, in the back seat.Make sure to keep car keys out of a child’s reach and teach them that the car is not a play area.Lock your car year-round, no matter what. Doing this can prevent children from getting into a car unnoticed.
If you ever see a child in a locked car, call 911 immediately.