An unsupervised Georgia toddler who climbed into a hot car has died, police say.
Kelsey Monaco, 30, is accused of allowing her 4-year-old boy to leave their Fitzgerald apartment alone on Wednesday. At some point, the young boy got into a car where he was eventually found unresponsive.
FOX 5 Atlanta reports that the was rushed to the local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Fitzgerald Police Department subsequently requested assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation with the case.
Monaco has been booked into the Ben Hill County Jail and is currently facing charges of cruelty to children and felony murder.
“This is the 2nd Georgia Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke (PVH) death of the year and their 37th since 1998.” Jan Null, CCM, Adjunct Professor of Meteorology at San Jose State University, told CrimeOnline in an emailed statement.
According to Kids and Car Safety, at least 15 children have died in hot cars nationwide in 2024.
Officials are asking anyone with information that could help the investigation to call the Fitzgerald Police Department at (229) 426-5000, the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Perry at (478) 987-4545, or the GBI tip line at 1-800-597-8477.
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo via Shutterstock]
