1-year-old dies after being left in hot car, Georgia deputies say. Now, mom is charged
A Georgia mother is charged with murder after deputies said her infant daughter died in a hot car.
Ariel Osbey, 29, is accused of leaving the 1-year-old inside a hot car in Covington on Tuesday, Oct. 10, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office and news outlets.
Authorities said the child “succumbed to heat exhaustion,” though it’s unclear how long she was in the vehicle. Accuweather shows temperatures climbed into the 80s that day.
Deputies were called about a cardiac arrest incident and arrived to find paramedics working on the child, according to an incident report obtained by McClatchy News. The girl was then taken to Newton Piedmont Hospital.
Additional information wasn’t released.
Osbey was arrested Oct. 12 and charged with second-degree murder and making false statements, authorities said.
She remained in custody at the Newton County Jail without bond as of Oct. 13, online records show.
What to know about hot car deaths
More than 950 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“About 40 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car,” officials said. “That’s about one child every 10 days killed in a hot car.”
Hot car deaths are most common in the summer month, but experts say they can happen at any time. The first “vehicular heatstroke” of the year typically happens in March, according to the administration.
“Leaving a window open is not enough — temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,” officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive and if not, call 911 immediately.
Covington is about 30 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 2:09 PM with the headline "1-year-old dies after being left in hot car, Georgia deputies say. Now, mom is charged."