Sheriff's Office investigates 2-year-old's death in hot van
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a young child who was left in a hot vehicle during the weekend.
“The investigation is ongoing and will be screened by the Washington County Attorney’s Office for potential criminal liability as part of standard protocol, however the initial investigation appears (to indicate) the incident was a tragic accident,” a report released by the Sheriff’s Office on Monday morning states.
More:Hot enough?
According to the report, deputies responded to a residence in Winchester Hills around 6:34 p.m. Saturday when family members found the child unresponsive in a coach-style van. The child was declared dead by first responders who provided assistance.
Family members told Sheriff’s detectives that several relatives from out of state were visiting the Winchester home for a family reunion.
“Several families were temporarily residing at the home while participating in the reunion events which included more than five families and between 25 and 35 children,” the news release states.
The families drove into St. George in multiple vehicles for an activity during the day and returned to Winchester Hills in the afternoon, when temperatures were still well above 100 degrees in the area.
More:A few safety devices for older cars, older drivers
Investigators believe the 2-year-old fell asleep on the return trip. Several other children were passengers in the van but apparently did not recognize that the small child remained in the vehicle when everyone else got out. The adult driving the van was not the child's parent, according to the news release.
The adults then prepared for a religious meeting in St. George, unaware that the child was still in the van. The children remained in the care of several teenage children as well as an adult neighbor while the family adults were gone.
After the adult family members returned from their religious meeting in the late afternoon, they recognized that the child wasn’t with the others and began a search, leading to the discovery by the child’s father.
The Sheriff’s statement didn’t indicate if the child was from the local area or one of the out-of-state families. The boy had apparently been in the van for six hours.
"These types of situations are very traumatic to the families involved, but often have a lasting effect on the first responder's (emotions, too). Sheriff's Office personnel are handling the situation as expected, and we will continue to monitor their well being," the news release adds.
The last reported incident of a child’s death attributed to a hot vehicle in the local area occurred in August 2014, when a Hurricane 11-month-old died after being left in a car for about an hour at a time when temperatures outside were measured between 83.9 and 89.6 degrees by a nearby weather substation.
The child’s mother had reported that the family sleep schedule was interrupted by sickness and that a number of other abnormal interruptions to routine occurred, which may have affected the woman’s judgment and created distractions.
Investigators ruled out any foul play or criminal liability in that incident.
Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap stated at the time that members of the public alarmed by the incident might expect some form of criminal punishment, but the investigation resulted in a decision not to prosecute anyone.
“We wrestle with that (decision) all the time in talking about what is the standard of proof. Sometimes we say we’re just going to let the jury determine that,” he said. “But a lot of times we make a decision on ‘What would a reasonable person do in this circumstance?’ — and that’s very subjective.”
Follow reporter Kevin Jenkins on Twitter, @SpectrumJenkins. Contact him at 435-674-6253.