Six-month-old baby dies after being abandoned in car in northern Arizona, deputies say

CORDES LAKE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) – A 6-month-old boy died after being left alone in a car in Arizona Tuesday night.

While details about the infant’s death are limited, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies said they received a report that an infant had been left in the car and likely died after 9 p.m.

The car was located in Cordes Lake, which is about 68 miles north of Phoenix.

Officers and paramedics arrived and confirmed the death, which the department called a “tragedy.”

No further information has been released regarding the baby’s death.

KPHO reached out to the sheriff’s office for more information, but authorities would not confirm the baby’s death was a “hot car death.”

“I feel sad for the family that has to go through this — losing a child in this way,” said Angela Jones, an advocate for the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety.

She said she can relate to the pain the families must be feeling after losing her 3-year-old daughter, Charlotte, in September 2019.

Jones explained that her husband had a different routine and forgot that Charlotte was in the backseat of his car when he returned home.

He said it was about four hours before he realized his daughter was still in the car.

“This is a danger that happens to loving parents across the country,” Jones said.

Jones has been sharing her daughter’s story in hopes of raising awareness.

He said the nonprofit is working to pass a law that would require vehicles to be manufactured with sensors that alert drivers when a child or pet is left in the car.

Until the law is passed, parents and guardians are urged to practice tips to remind their children to stay in the back seat.

She said leaving a shoe, wallet or cell phone in the back seat can help. She also advises leaving a stuffed animal or child’s toy in the front seat.

Jones explained that many times a child manages to get into an unlocked car and cannot get out.

She recommends that parents always lock their vehicles and place car keys out of reach of children.

“I hope that the trend slows down and that this stops happening because, honestly, it’s so tragic and so sad that we have to lose our beautiful children to something that is preventable,” she said.

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