A toddler was found dead in a car at the house of a small-town mayor in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Police said the 2-year-old child had been left there overnight and was discovered the next afternoon.
Gatlinburg police responded to a report of a child left in a vehicle overnight at a residence on Laurel Avenue and found the toddler dead about 1:57 p.m. last Friday, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
The National Weather Service reported Gatlinburg highs Thursday at 89 and 88 on Friday.
The home is owned by Jerry Kirkman, the mayor of Westmoreland about 200 miles northwest of Gatlinburg, according to the Sevier County Property Assessor's Office, per the News Sentinel. He has not responded to the incident.
The child's mother contacted 911 after discovering that the child reportedly had been left in the vehicle, reported WATE-TV.
"We believe they made the call when they got up," said Gatlinburg Police Chief Randall Brackins. "Their work schedule, they work late at night from the previous night and what we understand, the child was left in the car from the night before."
"The mother was attempting CPR. Paramedics took over and was unable to revive the child. They were very upset and very anxious," said Brackins, per WATE.
The Sevier County District Attorney’s Office will determine the charges, along with Gatlinburg Police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.
Attorney Don Bosch told WBIR-TV that the parents will probably be charged with a crime.
"A 2-year-old child was left locked in a vehicle for at least 12 and maybe as much as 24 hours, I think it would be easy for the state to charge at least aggravated child neglect if not aggravated child abuse as well," said Bosch, who is not connected with the case.
Bosch said felonies such as aggravated child abuse and neglect, even murder, could be considered in the case.
"It's not a legal stretch for a state (district attorney) to charge felony murder under these facts as we understand them today. Remember this is an active investigation and we don't know all the facts yet," said Bosch, per WBIR-TV.
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