A 3-year-old girl has died after being left in a hot car in Anaheim with her mother during a prolonged heat wave that sent temperatures into triple digits.
Officers responded to the 1300 block of Fashion Lane around 4:30 p.m. Friday for reports of a medical emergency, the Anaheim Police Department said. A family member called 911 after finding the mother, who was unconscious, and her daughter in the vehicle and attempted to provide first aid, Anaheim Police Sergeant Matt Sutter said.
According to Sutter, it was about 104 degrees outside when officers responded to the call. Temperatures inside a car on a hot day, even with the windows open, can rise 20 to 40 degrees above the outside temperature in a matter of minutes, according to the National Weather Service.
Officers attempted to perform CPR on the girl while the mother lay unconscious in the white Ford Expedition. Both were taken to hospital, but the girl died.
The girl, whose identity was not released Monday morning, appears to have died of complications from heatstroke, but an official cause of death has not yet been determined, Sutter said. An autopsy is expected to confirm the cause and time of death.
The mother, whose identity had not been released Monday morning, remains in the hospital and conscious, Sutter said. Authorities have not said whether she will be charged in connection with her daughter’s death.
