Brookwood Father Charged With Manslaughter In Hot Car Death Of Infant

BROOKWOOD, AL — A Tuscaloosa County father has been charged with manslaughter after an infant was found dead Wednesday evening inside a hot vehicle at a residence in Brookwood.

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Captain Jack Kennedy, commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said emergency responders were first dispatched at approximately 5 p.m. Wednesday to a residence in the 11000 block of Stone Ridge Court in Brookwood after family members reported that a 1-year-old infant had been found dead inside a vehicle while still strapped into a car seat.

Investigators with the Violent Crimes Unit later determined the child had been in the sole care of the father throughout the day.

Kennedy said the father — 30-year-old Logan Keith Chewning — admitted to drinking alcohol at different times during the day and leaving the residence at one point to purchase more alcohol.

The father told investigators he believed the child had been sleeping in a crib and that the child had accidentally been left behind in the vehicle, Kennedy said.

He then said initial findings indicate the child had been inside the vehicle for an extended period of time while afternoon temperatures were in the mid-90s.

The child’s exact cause of death will be determined by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

Following consultation with the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office, authorities Chewning with manslaughter.

Chewning is currently being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail with no bond under Aniah’s Law.

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