9-month-old dies in hot car after grandmother leaves infant for hours, Texas police report

Infant Dies After Being Left in Hot Car by Grandmother in Texas

An infant was found deceased in Texas after her grandmother left her in a hot car for hours, according to officials.

The grandmother placed the 9-month-old in a car seat in the back of her vehicle around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Beeville, approximately 90 miles southeast of San Antonio, as detailed in a Facebook post by police. She discovered the unresponsive child hours later, around 4 p.m.

Local news reported that the grandmother was babysitting the child while the parents were at work. Authorities found her holding the infant when they arrived. It was more than 100 degrees that day, according to The Weather Channel.

Beeville Police and the Department of Public Safety Texas are investigating the incident as a criminal homicide, noted in the Facebook post. "No charges have been filed in connection to this case at this time, but such charges are expected to be filed," police added.

USA TODAY reached out to Beeville Police for more information.

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Interior car temperatures are higher than outside

Most of these tragedies happen during summer, but deaths occur every month, according to TC Palm, part of USA TODAY Network.

Research shows vehicles become dangerously hot quickly, even with moderate outside temperatures. With 72-degree ambient air, internal vehicle temperature can reach 117 degrees in 60 minutes, with 80% of the increase in the first 30 minutes, said the National Safety Council.

Generally, after 60 minutes, one can expect a 40-degree average increase in internal temperatures for ambient temperatures between 72 and 96 degrees.

Interior vehicle temperatures can be 50 degrees higher than outside temperatures. Even on a cool 61-degree day, the inside temperature of a car reaches over 105 within an hour, according to Consumer Reports.

On a 72-degree day, a car's interior can be deadly in less than 30 minutes, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The danger from high temperatures is acute for young children because their bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults, the American Academy of Pediatrics said.

Heatstroke in children occurs when their core temperature reaches about 104 degrees. A child can die if their temperature reaches 107 degrees, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.