America's First Hot Car Death in 2023: Two-Year-Old Child Dies, Father Charged With Murder

A two-year-old child from Alabama dies in the nation's first hot car death in 2023.

Advocacy group "Kids and Car Safety" reported the first hot car death in the U.S. on Monday in Atmore, Alabama. The victim was a two-year-old child left in the vehicle for eight hours by the father instead of being dropped at the daycare center, according to the Atmore Police Department.

The father was still able to bring the child to the hospital but was declared dead shortly by medical staff, The Atmore Advance reported.

The Atmore Community Hospital contacted authorities about the incident, and 51-year-old Shawn Rounsavall, the child's father, was arrested and charged with reckless murder. He is currently at the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton.

The father thought he dropped the child at the daycare

"Atmore police officers responded to the hospital and discovered the child was supposed to be dropped off at a local daycare during the morning hours," Public Information Officer Sgt. Darrell McMann stated.

According to the officers, the father had gone to the daycare in the afternoon to pick the child up but was told the child was never dropped off that morning. The father found the child in the vehicle's backseat and rushed him to the hospital.

The National Weather Service cited the temperature in Atmore on Monday at 80 degrees. And, for an 80-degree day, the temperature inside a closed car can surge to 123 degrees in just an hour, as No Heat Stroke stated.

The website, managed by meteorologist Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services, further stated that when a "core body temperature" of 107 degrees or higher is reached, cells in the body are damaged, and internal organs begin to collapse, rapidly leading to death.

It was also surprising to have a hot car death in February as it was said to be "rare," with only six deaths since 1998, including Monday's recent incident.

Hot car deaths for the rest of the months of the year are, however, usual, as Amber Rollins, director of Kids and Care Safety, shared.

38 kids die every year in hot cars

Since 1990, more than 1,052 kids have died due to hot car incidents, while at least 7,300 children have survived but with injuries.

On average, according to data gathered by Kids and Car Safety, 38 kids die in the nation every year due to being left inside hot cars.

Most children, specifically 88 percent, were three and below, and 55 percent were "unknowingly left by an otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver."

Rollins, however, expressed to USA Today her shock upon knowing that the child's father was immediately charged with murder. She said that it was "quite rare and heartbreaking."

She stated that they at Kids and Care Safety believe "strongly" that there should be a thorough investigation on "all child deaths," and to charge someone quickly before an investigation is "rare."