A Louisiana father has been charged with murder after his 1-year-old daughter died in a hot car last weekend.
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call reporting the incident just before noon Sunday.
A relative found the toddler unresponsive in a parked vehicle after she was left there for about nine hours.
Police said the girl’s father, 35-year-old Joseph Boatman, picked her up at around 2:30 a.m. after drinking several alcoholic beverages.
He drove back home and went inside, forgetting the toddler in the car.
“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said.
“When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”
Boatman was arrested on second-degree murder charges.
