Toddler Dies in Hot Car in Georgia

Cobb County, GA — Cobb County Police responded to a call about an unresponsive 2-year-old in a car in Marietta, an hour outside Atlanta, on Tuesday evening. The child was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

"There is no evidence to suggest that the child was left inside the vehicle,"
— Cobb County Police

The circumstances of the incident are unclear, and the investigation is ongoing, according to Sergeant Eric Smith at a press conference Wednesday. Smith noted that the ambient temperature on Tuesday was in the 90s, but the internal car temperature at the time of death is unknown.

Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer called the incident a "hot car death" and requested community support and patience as his department investigates:

"I would ask just for support right now so we have time to sort out the facts of this case [...] we will do what is right, but we don't know right now whether or not criminal charges are warranted or whether or not outrage is warranted. But we do know that support is warranted."
— Chief Stuart VanHoozer

Kids and Cars, a nonprofit organization, stated that this is the 6th hot car death in the country this year and offered tips to prevent such tragedies, which can happen in any family.

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Original reporting by Saman Shafiq of USA TODAY.