1-Year-old Boy Dies After Being Left in Hot Car

PINECREST — A one-year-old boy who was left in a hot Toyota Camry for more than an hour died on Tuesday.

The child, who was identified by Miami-Dade police as Samuel J Schnall, was rushed to Baptist Hospital on Monday.

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"The child was found unresponsive by family members," Erika Benitez of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told Patch immediately after first responders took the child to the hospital on Monday. "When we arrived they started the process of cooling the child down."

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The incident occurred at 3:50 p.m. at 7702 SW 124th Court, according to Benitez. The baby celebrated his first birthday on Jan. 20.

Detective Jennifer Capote of the Miami-Dade Police Department later told reporters that a family member was "out and about" with the child for most of the day.

"There could be a time when you are taking care of somebody else's child and you don't realize — because it's not the norm for you — to maybe get out of your vehicle and check your vehicle, to make sure that we check that all of the children are out of the car," she told reporters

Capote said that the initial call was received by the Village of Pinecrest Police Department for an unresponsive toddler.

"Upon officers' arrival, they discovered that the toddler had been left unattended inside the vehicle for over an hour," Capote explained.

The temperature in Pinecrest was 78 degrees Fahrenheit shortly before 5 p.m. on Monday. According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the temperature of a parked vehicle can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes. High heat is particularly dangerous for children because their body temperatures rise five times faster than the body temperatures of adults.

It is a criminal offense in Florida to leave a child unattended in a vehicle, but no charges had been filed in the Pinecrest incident as of late Monday.

The Florida Department of Children and Families recommends that parents and others get in the habit of checking their back seats prior to leaving vehicles. Officials go so far as to suggest that people intentionally place a purse, briefcase, food or some other object in the backseat to help prevent incidents such as the one that occurred in Pinecrest.

Officials also advise not allowing children to play near vehicles. If someone else is driving your children somewhere, officials suggest asking that person to confirm their safe arrival.

Anyone with information regarding Monday's incident should contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477) or 866-471-8477. Alternatively, visit www.crimestoppersmiami.com and select “Give a Tip” or text "CSMD" to 274637 followed by the tip information.