Police have arrested a Georgia mother after her toddler daughter was allegedly left to die in a hot car as she got her hair done, according to WSBTV.
Authorities charged Dijanelle Fowler, 25, on Tuesday with second-degree murder, child cruelty, and concealing the June 15 death of Skylar Fowler. DeKalb County police claim Fowler drove around with her the body of her dead daughter for hours before calling 911 from a hospital parking lot. Documents state that the mother said she was “having a seizure of some kind” while failing to mention the deceased 13-month-old, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Fowler allegedly left the baby in a running car while she was in the salon. She returned six hours later, discovering her daughter had suffocated and the car had cut off. The mother is said to have called someone to jump her car instead of calling 911, as reported by FOX 5.
The National Weather Service reported that temperatures topped 92 degrees on the day in question.
“We’re thinking [the] mom had an episode and the child, unfortunately, died while being in the vehicle with mom because the vehicle was extremely hot,” Police Captain Lewis told reporters.
However, court documents reveal that Fowler sent a text to the toddler’s godfather and Googled “seizure symptoms” before parking at the hospital.
Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Fowler in early July. However, police said she was arrested only Monday night because she traveled to South Carolina, New Jersey, and Florida before turning herself in.
Police charged the 25-year-old with second-degree murder because they don’t believe she intentionally left Skylar in the car. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution pointed out that second-degree murder doesn’t require malice.
She is being held without bail.
[Featured Image: Dekalb County Jail]