A Texas man who forgot that his 6-month-old daughter was in the family’s van as temperatures soared into the 90s Tuesday attempted to cool her by putting her in a refrigerator, according to court records.
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Police found the toddler unresponsive around 1:30pm Tuesday in Melissa, Texas, according to the Collin County Sheriffs Office. Police were told the infant was left in Thedford’s auto, but it is unclear for how long. Details are limited at this time, but authorities have charged the girl’s father, Michael Thedford, with manslaughter.
Fabiola Contreras, who lives across the street from Thedford, spoke to WFAA about the incident. It’s unclear how long she’d been in the vehicle. She said she immediately noticed all the commotion as first responders arrived at the scene. On Thursday, a north Houston boy searching for a toy climbed into a vehicle parked in his family’s driveway, became trapped by child locks and died, according to Houston police.
“They were asking the mother a few questions and she looked like she was crying”. When they arrived they found the six-month-old girl unresponsive in a minivan just steps from the front door of the family’s home. His wife had already left for work, and Thedford did not plan to take the 6-month-old to day care because she had been running a fever, according to the affidavit. The two older children are not now in CPS custody.
The medical examiner will rule on an official cause of death.
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CNN reports that nearly three times as many children have died in cars this year when compared to this time last year.
