A 22-year old single mother is being charged with the death of her 20-month old son after leaving him and his 2-month old sibling in a car for eight hours while she went to work, CBS 6 reports.
911 was not called until after the children arrived home to their apartment complex, when police were called at around 6 p.m. on Sunday, as Prince George Police Lt. Paul Burroughs said to CBS 6.
"I believe it was a little boy," Burroughs said at the time. "We're certainly investigating the death of the [20-month-old] child trying to figure out what happened."
The 20-month old was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said the mother was home at the time of the incident, and it was when officers arrived on the scene that the 2-month old was rushed to VCU Medical Center. The father of the children was also at home when police were called.
The mother, Brittney Downing, was arrested on two counts of felony child neglect, and told a judge in Henrico County, Va. Wednesday morning that she couldn't afford an attorney. A source told CBS 6 that Downing had just started a new job at a hotel and left the children in the car while she worked for her eight-hour shift.
Downing's family spoke about the incident to reporters.
"This is a tragedy, the whole family is in distress," Antione Scott, Downing's uncle, said after the court hearing, according to CBS 6. "I want them to know, that she is human, everybody is human. Unfortunately, this particular mistake cost the life of her son." Scott said to reporters that he and his family is devastated by the news that Downing's oldest son died on Sunday.
"He was a beautiful little boy and it's just so sad. It's just so sad this had to happen to him," Scott said. He and his family are working on setting up a foundation to help single mothers find babysitters to watch their kids while they are at work.
The judge at Downing's hearing accepted her request for a court-appointed attorney, and Downing currently remains behind bars without bond.
Click here to watch CBS 6's video news report in the incident.
