A 1-month-old Illinois baby died of severe dehydration and hyperthermia after he was left in a vehicle without food of water for an “extended period.”
Andrea Luncsford, 25, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with endangering the health and life of a child, the Peoria Police Department said. Her son, Grayson Luncsford, was found dead Monday night, WCBU reported.
Peoria Police responded to the home in North Peoria just after 7 p.m. Monday. Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said he arrived at the scene shortly after police and pronounced the boy dead at 7:38 p.m. He had been dead for “quite some time,” Harwood said.
He said it was difficult to determine how long the boy had been dead or how long he was left in the car.
When you have an infant or a kid in a car for any amount of time in this heat, the outcome is going to be as it is right now today, which is we have the death of a 1-month-old who has died because they were in a car with no air conditioning, no ventilation, no nutrition, no hydration,” he said.
According to NoHeatStroke.org, 33 children have died after being left in a vehicle with no air so far this year. Twenty-nine children died that way in all of last year.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Andrea Luncsford/Peoria County Jail]