Woman Forgot Toddler in Car, Went to Walmart: Police

An unincorporated Plainfield woman told Joliet police she forgot her toddler daughter was with her when she went shopping at a Route 59 Walmart store — leaving the child unattended in the vehicle.

Patricia Silvar, 36, of the 7000 block of Boxwood Lane, received a compliance ticket Tuesday after police got a call about a child left alone in a vehicle at the store, 1401 Route 59.

Joliet Cmdr. Al Roechner said police arrived at 5:03 p.m., unlocked the door and removed the nearly 2-year-old girl from the car. The child was sleeping in a car seat when police arrived, he said.

According to police, Silvar came out of the store at 5:11 p.m. She told police she had forgotten that her daughter was with her, but said she was in the store for only a few minutes, Roechner said.

Police contacted the Department of Children and Family Services following the incident. DCFS released the child back into Silvar’s custody and is investigating the case, police said. She is due in Will County court on Sept. 11.

According to the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, 18 children in the U.S. have died of heat stroke this year after being left in cars. In 2013, 44 children died nationwide.

Temperatures inside of cars can rise by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.