A DEVASTATED father killed himself in the woods after finding his 18-month-old son dead in his car, where he’d been left for three hours, cops believe.
On Tuesday afternoon in Chesterfield, Virginia, police received information about a guy who may have been attempting suicide at a residence there. This led them to the discovery of the terrifying scene.
While the officers from Chesterfield were on their way to the scene, they received a second contact from a member of the man’s family who informed them that there may be a dead kid inside the residence.
The member of the family told the police that they were informed that the child, who was 18 months old, was never dropped off at the daycare.
The father is believed to have told a family member that he had left the youngster in the vehicle for three hours and was contemplating suicide during the call, according to the police.
When police officers arrived at the residence, they discovered a vehicle parked in the driveway with one of the rear doors open and a child safety seat that was vacant inside the vehicle.
Officials entered the residence and found a boy of 18 months old who was already deceased.
After then, the body of the man was discovered in the woods in the backyard of the house, with what seemed to be a gunshot wound that was self-inflicted.
The cause of death of the young kid was determined to be the fact that the boy’s father had left him inside the vehicle outside of his place of employment for around three hours.
When the 37-year-old dad found out what was in the backseat, he drove home about 10 miles from where he worked.
“This is a terrible tragedy on many different fronts and levels. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends who will have to go through this difficult time “Officer Chris Hensley from the Chesterfield police department said.
The identities of the victims have not been made public as of yet. The circumstances surrounding the death of the toddler have not been made public.
On Tuesday, the high temperature in Chesterfield hit 80 degrees. Nevertheless, experts have cautioned in the past that even on days when temperatures are generally low, the conditions inside of a parked automobile can swiftly rise if the sun is out.
When temperatures outside reach 80 degrees, the temperature inside a parked automobile can fly up to 99 degrees after 10 minutes and 114 degrees after 30 minutes, according to experts from the Stanford School of Medicine.
According to the study’s primary author, Dr. Catherine McLaren, who is also a clinical teacher in emergency care, “there have been reports of toddlers dying on days as cool as 70 degrees Fahrenheit.”
