Autistic Woman Was In 109-Degree Car As Caregiver Got Waxed: Cops

RACINE COUNTY, WI — Police in Racine County say they've arrested a 35-year-old Racine County woman accused of leaving an autistic child under her supervision in a locked car in full sun for a half-hour while she underwent a "waxing procedure."

According to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County, police in Burlington, Wis. were called to the area of Washington Ave. and N. Pine St. on July 25 just before noon on a report of a vehicle with a handicapped person who was trapped inside.

Police said when they arrived, they saw that a 26-year-old woman was lying in the back seat with a sweaty, glazed look on her face. The vehicle's doors were all locked, the windows were all up and the vehicle was parked in full sun.

When police investigated, a woman identified as Bridget Flynn walked out of the nearby Trend Setters salon and approached her vehicle. She said that she was the woman's caregiver, that she required constant care.

According to reports, Flynn said she stopped at Trend Setters to use the bathroom and that she was not gone that long. But when police investigated further, they learned that she entered Trend Setters that day and received a waxing procedure.

According to reports, police also learned that Flynn was supposed to transport the woman to the Discovery World museum in Milwaukee for the day, but instead took her to Taco Bell and Echo Park in Burlington without telling her employer, Paragon Community Services, of her change in plans.

Authorities managed to rescue the woman - who was autistic, had a seizure disorder and lived at a group home - from the vehicle. When the Burlington Fire Department arrived to extricate the woman from the vehicle, they recorded that the interior of it was 109 degrees.

According to court records, Flynn has been charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety, false imprisonment, neglecting a patient and obstructing an officer.

Flynn was released on a $7,500 cash bond and is due back in court on Sep. 5 for her preliminary hearing.

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