Thanks to the alertness of a Walmart staff, a newborn baby has been found and saved after the mother left the child inside a parked hot car.
The Slidell police responded to the emergency situation around 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 7, after a Walmart worker called to report that an impaired and highly intoxicated woman left her infant child in her minivan. The baby was wrapped in a blanket and appeared to be lethargic when the first responders got to the parking lot. The car's air conditioning system was blasting hot air due to the summer weather outside.
Daniel Seuzeneau of the Slidell Police public information officer, however, told the press that the infant is expected to survive and is recovering from a nearby hospital.
"This incident would have resulted in the death of this young two-week-old," the officer said, per WBRZ. "We thank God for such a positive outcome."
Mom arrested and charged
The police have identified the mother as Ashley Kennedy from Minden, Louisiana. During their investigations, the authorities also learned that Kennedy had an hit and run incident prior to going to Walmart. Details of this crash were unclear.
Apparently, she was in the Walmart area twice and the staff had noticed her unusual behavior the first time she went inside the store. She was with her baby then. When she returned about an hour later, the staff noticed there was no baby so they checked the parking lot for the car.
The mother has been charged with child endangerment, third offense DWI, cruelty to juveniles, improper child restraint, and hit and run. Her newborn has been turned over to the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services.
Leaving children unattended inside a vehicle is illegal
Per Kids and Car Safety, several states have laws against leaving children unsupervised and unattended inside a vehicle, including Louisiana. However, many parents or caregivers still make mistakes and forget about their children in the backseat.
As of June 2022, over 10 young kids have already died in hot cars, including an 18-month-old boy in Virginia. His father, riddled with guilt for forgetting his son, took his own life days after losing his child.
In the same week of the infant's rescue, another family in New Jersey almost lost their three children who were left inside a locked and parked hot car at a plaza parking lot. Cyndia Jourdan, 17, and another teenager were supposed to be with the kids, ages 3, 1 and 5 months old, but they went inside the store for 45 minutes.
The first responders got on the site in time, following several reports of spotting the kids in the parking lot, and took them to the hospital for treatments. The teenagers are in police custody.
In 2021, 23 children have died due to heatstroke inside hot cars, per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That same year, Congress approved mandate that will require vehicles to alert the drivers if they still have someone in the back seat before leaving. H.R.3684 or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, however, won't be enacted until 2023.
In the meantime, authorities continue to remind parents to never leave their kids alone inside a car, especially during a hot summer day. Always check the back seat before turning off the engine and closing the door.
