It wasn’t until several hours later – after the mother learned her youngest never made it to day care – that the grandmother discovered him in the vehicle, around 5:30 p.m. Unfortunately, by that time he had passed away.
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The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that police don’t believe the boy was intentionally harmed.
Initial information from police didn’t specify whether the infant is related to the man who took the children to daycare.
Police said the grandmother walked out to the parking lot and found the child in the SUV.
When the three other children returned home from day care, their panicked mother immediately noticed the baby was not with them and called the grandmother.
A preliminary investigative report from the Summit County Medical Examiner states Katrell Johnson instructed her 10-year-old brother to put Jayce in his auto seat around 7:50 a.m. Wednesday. The woman reportedly had no idea the child was left in the vehicle seat.
The medical examiner is performing an autopsy to determine cause of death. The identity of the baby will be released once all family members are notified.
“Although it’s very early in this investigation it appears that this was a tragic accident and not a matter of foul play”, a Macedonia police department statement said. “We’re all shocked, it’s a tragedy”, Yakopovich said, according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
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Police spent two and a half hours searching inside the van where the child was found Wednesday night.
