Authorities are investigating the death of an 11-month-old boy after he and his twin sister were left for several hours in a hot vehicle at a car dealership in Alabama, Friday, say police.
According to Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge, officials responded to a call from Sunny King Honda around 11:54 a.m. regarding two infants that had been left inside a vehicle.
According to Alabama Local, the father forgot he had left the children in his minivan until the mother called to ask about them.
The children’s father, who is an employee of the dealership, removed the twins from the backseat of the vehicle by the time officers arrived, said the chief. The 11-month-old infants were still in their car seats.
The children were transported to the Regional Medical Center emergency room, where the boy later died. His twin sister survived the ordeal and is reportedly doing well, Partridge said.
Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown told reporters that the twins were in the car from about 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m, reported CBS42.
“All indications seem that this is a tragic accident,” Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown said. “No one can fathom the way this family feels, and I especially want to make sure that people are sympathetic to this family and that they get all the facts before they pass judgment.”
In a statement provided to WTVM on Friday, the dealership said, “The Sunny King Automotive Group family is hurting. We request your thoughts and prayers for our employee and his family and the Sunny King Automotive Group family.”
Chief Partridge said, “Keep the first responders and the families in your prayer and we are certainly continuing the investigation to find out what lead up to this occurrence.”
The infants have not been identified by police.
According to information from the National Weather Service the temperature at the Anniston Airport—5 miles away from the location of the dealership—rose from the high 70s at about 9 a.m. into the high 80s two hours later.
It was 91 degrees when the children were found, the chief added.
Child Hot Car Death Statistics
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), an average of 38 children under the age of 15 die in hot cars every year.
In 2018, a record number of 53 children died. The recorded number so far in 2019 is 42.
The number of total hot car deaths since 1998 is 839.
The CNN wire service contributed to this report.