This is so tragic. The poor child must have suffered terribly, and the father will suffer for his mistake for the rest of his life.

Pothead and braindead for sure. Nobody can be that stupid without being on drugs..........

Really seven try checking on what type of people have made this tragic mistake and you will find yourself seriously wrong.

Really Tom??? Watch the news of all the Meth and Crack heads who have no business having children in the first place. Half of them try to sell their kids for more dope. People who harm young children through negligence are almost always on drugs and it is a shame to see the result...........

Tragically this sort of thing happens to otherwise good responsible people all the time. I haven't forgotten at drop off, but I've gone all the way to my apartment before I realized that I forgot to pick up. It's not my normal routine. My husband usually picks up. When driving the 30 minutes or so home, I'm on auto pilot. I'm thinking about what I was going to make for dinner, about a difficult customer, replaying the conversation I had with my boss etc. I pulled into the parking lot and realized "oh crap, I forgot to pick up DS" turned around and got him. Luckily I was only 5 minutes later than I normally would be and no one knew how stupid I was. But I knew. And I know that had the same mistake been made in the morning than in the afternoon, I may have gotten all the way to work before I realized that I still had my son with me. Don't say it would never happen to you, you're basing that on the fact that it hasn't so far. But it could and you should acknowledge that so that you are certain to take the steps to prevent it from being a tradgedy. Put your purse or breifcase or cell phone or whatever else you always bring to work with you in the back seat so you get in the habit of looking in the back before you get out of the car. It's the number one thing you can do to make sure you can continue to boast that you would never forget your child.

Hes an alcoholic for sure, probably hung over from drinking all night.Drunks constantly forget their kids and what planet there on.

"it wasnt part of his daily routine so he forgot"....if having your baby in your car is not part of your daily routine wouldn't it then logicially make you MORE aware that you needed to drop the baby off and not forget it entirely. These children left to smother in the heat in car stories are really hard to read and appear way too often.

Tom...you're right. So many people "assume" (ASSume) and pass judgement before the whole story is out there. There is so much hate in the world...breaks my heart. This is the second child incident reported on MSN this morning.

After having been to all major US pill factories (looking at the actual molecules), I can assure you the real drugs for depression and anxiety (never mind countless severe pain types), far outsells what you call pot heads here--AND if they actually are on pot, they would statistically speaking be more alert!--try to actually know what you are dishing on here!

This is heartbreaking. That poor child. God bless her.

Come on...I mean, I know accidents happen, but 9 hours? This isn't " Oh, I'm going to run into the store for 30 minutes because the baby is asleep" and it overheats accidently or something, it's 9 hours. Yes, I've made poor choices in life, but none that resulted in a helpless child's death due to negligence.

Seven2Seven, Jef, et.al;

Sounds like you're speaking from experience. Those who are guilty are always the one's to protest loudest and that is a statistical fact. If you can't sight the statistics, or the information found in investigative reports, it's either your personal experience or disinformation.

Pothead and braindead for sure. Nobody can be that stupid without being on drugs..........

Your post is the easy counter to that argument, unless you posted while high. I looked 3 times and still haven't found mention of any drugs involved in the article. What's your excuse?

DA - Table for one.

@ Seven2Seven- You are an idiot. I agree that there are a lot of drug addicts who should not have children. But to say they try to sell their kids is ignorant. You are making things up and your ridiculous statements are clear you have no idea what you're talking about. This guy had a job, which, according to your logic, would automatically make him out to be a responsible person who made a mistake. The "Meth and Creack heads" you refer to, again using your logic, wouldn't have a job b/c they're too busy doing meth and crack.

I don't know too many potheads whose kids go to prepartory schools. Always the same remarks, and they sound just as stupid each time. The father will have to live with this the rest of his life. Nothing you can say about him will make him feel worse than he already does. People wonder how someone could forget about a child in a car. Happens all the time more and more.

Most likely has something to do with the world we live in. Whoever said he probably didn't forget his phone - you're probably right. He was probably already working before he got to work - on the phone. That's probably exactly what happened. We all have to rush rush rush - work work work - so we can all outdo our neighbors. Electronics and all the technoology today ... how can something have helped us so much as well as hurt us?

I feel for the big brother who found him. My thoughts and prayers are with the whole family - and especially so for the father.

People kill me always labeling, every-time something bad happens. Pray for the parents of this child, especially the dad. He just sentenced himself to a life of hell here on earth for the rest of his life; as for the baby, I believe God just allow the baby to simply go to sleep and slip right on out of here; no suffering.

This is a crock!!!!! These parents continue to get off from being charged with murder by saying "oops, I forgot" I really cannot imagine forgetting your child when you exit the car. How many people are so busy that they don't even glance back? No, I don't know the statistics. I do know that "forgetting" my child is something I've never done.

I say "lock em all up in a vehicle, park it in the sun, and let em all bake. A few instances of this and I'd bet we'll hear a lot less of these stories.

A tragic incident for sure, but not the first time something like this has happened. I understand that children are are safer in the back seat, but I bet he wouldn't have forgotten her had she been in the front seat next to him.

The father should be charged with murder....period! Anybody who does that should be charged with murder. I have two kids...routine or not, you don't easily forget having a baby with you in a car.

Okay, so if it isn't drugs or pot, it's PLAIN STUPIDITY. When I read the article I didn't even THINK it might be drugs. I just thought, what a stupid waste of oxygen imbecile f--k-up. Put him behind bars. He's a worthless human. And Xina, how dare you suggest it could happen to any of us? If you forgot to pick up "DS" one day, shame on you. Ever hear of a "TO DO" list? You write what you need to do on paper and you bring this paper into your car. How complicated is that? It's your KID and you forgot, and therefore you think ANY of us might do the same? This man forgot for NINE HOURS. I don't even go ONE HOUR without thinking about my DOG, for Pete's sake.

Baby dies in car after father forgets to drop her off at day care

Hooooleeeee shyt! How the hell can any parent in their right mind forget and leave any kid in a car?

This is child neglect. The parent is responsible their their kids, and this man imo needs to pay for what he put this little child thru.

There are no excuses for leaving a child in your car to die such an awful death.

RIP Rosalyn Ramos.

Also it's interesting to note:

In the three-year period of 1990-1992, before airbags became popular, there were only 11 known deaths of children from hyperthermia.

In the most recent three-year period of 2009-2011, when almost all young children are now placed in back seats instead of front seats, there have been at least 118 known fatalities from hyperthermia...a ten-fold increase from the rate of the early 1990s. [Important note: This in no way implies that it is advocated that children be placed in the front seat or that airbags be disabled.]

I'm not on here to hurl insults or call names but, responsible people do this too. Two years ago I read about a high school administrator that did the same thing. she was preoccupied with taking supplies into the building where she worked. no punishment, just the anguish she has to live with for the rest of her life.

Probably never uses the rear view mirror when driving.

How dare I suggest? Are you freaking kidding me? Are you saying that you are such a perfect individual that you don't require any safety guidelines or advice on how to prevent a tradgedy? Well that's just awesome! I'm so glad that you are perfect! You're absolutely right. I'm a terrible human being because I took the turn off hte highway to my home out of habit instead of going one more light to the school. Parents never forget to pick up their kids. Shame on me. You're right I could never hope to live up to your exemplary parenting example. How can I pretend that I'm a good mother. God help my child. He has a mother who realizes that she might make mistakes and takes the time to educate herself to find proven ways to avoid them. My poor son's mother is not perfect like you are, she has to take precautions to make sure that he is safe. If only I could make sure that I would never make a mistake through sheer force of will like you. Let me try it now, *scruches face* "I will be perfect, my son will never be forgotten or fall or get hurt or get sick or anything because I WILL it to be so".....Strange, I don't feel any more perfect... Maybe I should continue to look into the best ways to compensate for my lack of perfection and stick with plan But you FATMANONATREADMILL.... you keep right on with that perfection of sheer willpower, seems to be working for you.

Of course, when it stops working, well then it's too late... but no, you're right. It is simply IMPOSSIBLE for YOU to ever make a mistake. Carry on with your bad self.

This must have been the best behaved 6-month-old in the history of the world; Doesn't make 1 sound the whole time the father & both children R in the car.

Wow.

Any plea bargain agreement for Ramos should involve having him snipped.

For all of you beating up on Seven, don't be so quick to judge his original statement. I mean honestly, how many parents do you know easily forget that their own baby is in the car with them?

The dad says he forgot because it isn't normally his responsibility? I call BS!!! Routine has nothing to do with it. Every decent, loving parent is aware when their infant is present. In order to forget something that huge the brain has to be clouded in some way. Maybe it wasn't crack or weed, but it was something. Maybe booze, maybe prescription drugs but it is certainly a reasonable assumption that he was impaired in some way.

Seven is a troll but more importantly, where does it say this guy was under the influence of anything?

Clearly he's just a dumbass.

There was an incident a few years ago where the baby was forgotten by its father, a university professor

Babies sleep in cars, once the father belted the seat in his mind went to the task of driving, or what he had to do at work that day.

The assumption that the father is stupid or a druggie or a murderer is mind-boggling. Think back in your life--I guarantee you did something outlandishly stupid that you look back on and say "how did I get away with that". This guy wasn't that lucky.

@FatManOnTreadmill - How can you speak like that about someone you nothing about? It is amazing how many folks think they know everything about the lives of others based on an article written about a tragedy that has happened to them. So based on the logic that you use in defining people by the written word. I assume that by your posting name you are a disgusting fat pig sweating on treadmill with a big chocolate dingdong in your mouth. Am I correct?

elrod.....it's got nothing to do with memory or drugs. i don't need to wake up. i do understand that this man forgot the only thing that really mattered in his whole day and aknowledge he's a moron for forgetting. his priorities were all wrong.

what i am saying is that there was no mention of foul play, mexican drug cartels, gov't cover ups, or elvis in the article. no one needs to hang this man before the police do their job. seven was making very bold statements about a situation he or she didn't witness, doesn't have any first hand knowledge of, and has no biz conjecturing about. in short.....seven is doing nothing but continuing a disgusting cycle of hate, stereotyping, and fear mongering. i'm sick of it. and i will always speak up against it. the idea of free speech has become perverted and people are trampling it on the internet because they don't have to say it to anyones face. it is implied with that freedom, you have to be responsible about it just like anything else.

i do understand there are a lot of parents that are irresponsible drug addicts. there are also a lot of "sober" ones too. or better yet.....where does your arguement go if he was on ambien, abilify, effexor, xanax, imitrex, klonopin, topomax, wellbutrin, zyban....etc. and he was prescribed and had been taking the correct dose. then what? changes things huh? think before you speak

u don't say....

hypo means low heat

hyper means high heat

just like blood sugar

doesn't matter what he's smoking, apparently you have better stuff

HYPOglycemic low

HYPERglycemic high

I don't know what the statistics are, but it does make you wonder about needing to have carseats located in the back seat.

Yes, I understand it's a bone head thing to do, but for anyone who's ever forgotten to shut off the oven, or turn off the sprinklers, or can't remember where they sat down the keys, being spacey is human.

U don't say said;

In the three-year period of 1990-1992, before airbags became popular, there were only 11 known deaths of children from hyperthermia."

Great Balls of Fire girl, what R U smokin'? This story has nothing 2 do with airbags or hypothermia (yeah, that's really how it's spelled). The child OVER-HEATED.

Sheesh!

Actually Xina had it right.

HyPOthermia is a drop in body temperature. HyPERthermia is a rise in body temperature. Hyperthermia is also called heatstroke, but the proper medical term is hyperthermia.

U don't say-3994780

Hyperthermia: a much higher than normal body temperature

1st- I'm a different 'justathought' than the one above, just to be clear

This is a terrible accident, but Xina brings up a relevant fact. Infants are now placed in rearfacing car seats in the back seat of cars for their safety in the event of an accident. A lot of infants go to sleep in the car. So you have a parent that is out of their normal routine with daily errands and multiple children. Maybe they are lacking sleep due to sleepless nights from teething or colic (a small baby can leave you sleepless as any parent knows) or maybe they are thinking about the day ahead of them filled with deadlines at work or a parent's cancer treatment... things distract us and we all go on autopilot. Most parents manage with new babies simply because their routine gets them through the day. So there you are: on auto pilot, you just dropped off the older loud kids, ran through the drive thru errands and little one goes to sleep in the back. You don't hear her because she is quiet. You don't see her because she is rear facing. Your mind is full of the worries of everyday life and you're probably late for work. It can happen.

Sadly in the town I live in there have been two of these deaths in the last several years. I have friends that worked with both of the fathers involved. In the first he went to his car for lunch and my friends heard his screams across a large parking lot over the noise of the assembly factory where this occurred. It wasn't his routine.

The most recent was a local surgeon. He had a busy morning, dropped off the older ones, and went to work. A friend of mine was there when he remembered his daughter. He was in the hospital, he let out a cry, dropped everything he was holding and took off running. People that saw him in the halls and stairwells said he was yelling, 'no, no, no' and pushing everything and anyone out of his way. No one knew what was wrong, but everyone that saw him knew that something terrible had just happened to this man. It wasn't his routine.

Neither of these men used drugs or were heavy drinkers. Both of these men were known to be loving and doting fathers. Both of these men had a heavy workload to provide for their families. Both of these men will never be the same again. And both of them were off of their routine.

You may say that it could never happen to you, but what about your spouse? Maybe it couldn't happen to you because you have your child 90% of the time, but if you had to change up your routine could it happen with your spouse?

While the safety measures involving rear-facing car seats and back seat placement have saved countless lives, it has made it easier for these types of accidents to occur. To help prevent this we should all encourage our daycares to use a notification system when a child does not show up. It is common in even kindergarten and Pre-K to call a parent if a child has not shown up for school. A quick phone call or text message from the day care to check on a little is all it would take to keep these types of accidents from occurring.

This father will blame and condemn himself for the rest of his life, I see no need for the rest of us to help him.

Xina, thank you for your honest post, and please ignore all those who think they cannot make a mistake. Mistakes are easy. I never made the mistake of leaving a child in the car, but I can see how it can happen, and rather easily.

Ok, I concede. I have my terms backwards. So Niggs & kashmir, what does this story have 2 do with airbags?

Hey, at least I didn't forget my kid.........

U don't say, i honestly laughed at your post. Your outrage at a supposed mistake when you didn't even know the word existed is hysterical.

Hyperthermia, FYI, is the body reached temperatures too high to maintain normal metabolic function. Hypothermia is the opposite.

The point is, airbag implementation has a correlation with hyperthermic death, which is highly relevant to this discussion. It indicates that airbags may contribute to vehicles reaching higher temperatures or they are a risk factor for it. It doesn't suggest without the airbags a child wouldn't be left, but it does suggest the outcome might be different.

The kid really didn't suffer at all. What happens is that you are hot and then you get sleepy and then you don't wake up. It is not suffering.

U don't say----hyperthermia is the opposite of hypothermia..in essence it is in a way overheating. What are you smoking?

It is terrifyingly easy for a change in routine to lead a person to forget something like a sleeping baby. We really don't realize how much we do on autopilot. We are a distracted nation with too much on our minds.

The thing is that everyone thinks you would have to be an idiot to do that and end up taking no precautions to avoid it.

There are articles on the psychology of routine, though, that show how something like this could happen to the best, smartest, kindest, most lucid of us all.

The takeaway here is a stark reminder of how easy it is and how, even if it seems stupid, we have to assume that this could happen to us and take steps to ensure it doesn't. On days when you have the baby and it isn't your routine, put your things (briefcase, purse, computer, etc.) back with the baby. When you put the baby in the car seat, tether your keys to the carrier, or tie a string between the carrier and your belt loop. Tie something to the door handle. Put a Post-it on your window reminding yourself, "YOU HAVE THE BABY!".

Just do something that will make you stop and think. You might feel foolish and like such precautions are a silly waste of time and you might worry that other people will judge you for even thinking that it might be a possibility but they'll ensure you don't forget your baby in the car.

@CatInahat,

You'll have 2 forgive me. It's my first mistake.

;-)

read the rest of the post and then use critical thinking skills. what seat do the kids go in now that we have airbags, front or back? you don't have to buy into xina's arguement, and one could claim that no matter where the child is your mind should go with them.......but statistics are numbers, and those don't lie. more people are forgetting their kids because they aren't right beside them.

The reason airbags are part of the problem is due to their use in cars, child carriers can not be used in front seats now. If the airbag is deployed and the carrier is in the front seat the child will be killed, so car seats must go in the rear seats. Before the use of airbags people often put the baby in the front with them so they could see them and tend to them. Now due to airbags we must put them in the back, and for further safety the carriers are rear-facing.

Do you see the correlation now?

Condolences to the family and friends of this poor baby. Tragedies like these are hard to explain.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

And Jef,

Drunks also forget how to spell. It's 'what planet they're on,' not 'what planet there on.' Even deeper, you should have written '...forget their kids and on which planet they are.' Don't end a sentence with a preposition.

I was not aware that this was a 'battle'. I was under the impression that this was a discussion panel for those interested in discussing the matter. If I agree with another poster surely you don't believe that it is merely my agreeing blindly as opposed to my having the same thoughts? As you were big enough to admit your earlier mistake (which I was most impressed with by the way, few people are willing to admit when they may not have been right) I am going to believe that you are reasonable enough to concede that perhaps this last comment of yours *might* be a bit argumentative?

No, not really a "battle', just a figure of speech.

Argumentative? Maybe. But do U C the point I was making? She/he (I've always thought the postings made her/him sound female) seems 2 have run away like a scared little girl.

U don't say - Cuz I went to lunch and only just now got back to my computer. LOL. But since everyone else did such a stellar job at pointing out your mistake I'll just let it go. At any rate, I think I (and many others) have made my point as cogently as possible. If you want to be obstinate *shrugs* well that's on you.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in about the fact that this happens to good, responsible people too.

The poor father will never be the same, if he even manages to live with it afterwards... My heart goes out to the family.

and you're right. I'm a chick. Xina - short for Christina. Old college nickname. :-)

Wow. How anyone could look at this as anything more than a tragic accident is beyond me. Anyone who has raised kids remembers all too vividly trying to function on little sleep, and nobody here knows this father's situation. Terrible loss, tragic accident.

This child was in a rear facing car seat (law until 1 year old). If you look in the rear view mirror, all you see is the back of the seat, not the baby. If baby falls asleep, then baby makes no noise to remind you they are there. Sad and tragic. The baby industry now sells baby rear-view mirrors that you can position to see baby in the rear facing car seat.

"As you were big enough to admit your earlier mistake (which I was most impressed with by the way, few people are willing to admit when they may not have been right)"

U R absolutely right about this. Few people in this world R willing 2 admit when they R wrong.

Of course that COULD B because even after admitting it, it's difficult 2 B forgiven.

I don't care if it's hypo or hyper thermia - a baby was left in a car by her father and died. How does someone "forget" to drop off a child anywhere? How does anyone forget that the child is in the car? Didn't he even look in his car when he exited to just make sure everything was all right? Check to make sure he has everything he needs and see the baby there. Was the baby totally silent all the time during the ride? "The poor father" try the poor baby. Was he that consumed in himself that he forgot his own baby? I do not feel remorse at all for the father. I feel remorse for the baby that died in the heat. Think what she must have gone through.

Unless you've smoked pot before don't open your mouth and start blabbing ignorance. I don't smoke anymore but know several people who do and I can tell you without a doubt they are the most attentive, patient, and loving parents to their kids b/c they aren't stressed out or rushing around like headless chickens all the time. They hold and spend more time with their children. One girl in particular has an extremely colicky baby that she can hold and smile to while they are screaming their head off and she isn't bothered bc she's smoked. Either you're a dumb@$$ or not, marijuana isn't going to change that. I'm so sick of hearing people run their mouth about something they clearly know nothing about

"Of course that COULD B because even after admitting it, it's difficult 2 B forgiven."

"But since everyone else did such a stellar job at pointing out your mistake I'll just let it go. If you want to be obstinate *shrugs* well that's on you."

C?

Hey, at least I didn't forget my kid.........

She/he (I've always thought the postings made her/him sound female) seems 2 have run away like a scared little girl.
2 much of a pu**y 2 fight their own battles?

It might have to do with the fact that even after you admited you were wrong you resorted to calling me names. Something that I did not respond in kind to. Instead I opted to be a bigger person and "let it go" and you're using that as evidence that I have not forgiven you for your "mistake" of confusing Hypothermia and Hyperthermia? really?

wow.

OK, you are forgiven for being a wrong about vocabulary while trying to be mean to me.

feel better?

ty justathought for your comment, there are not many intelligent and non-dbag people online.

i'm a proud daddy of a 6 month baby, i can not imagine the pain this man must be going through and the fact that most of you want to condemn him for a horrible mistake, something that can happen to any of you, is so sickening.

i agree that this is mainly caused by the fact we are mandated to use rear-facing car seats now. 10 years ago when my daughter was born we were still allowed to have front facing car seats, anytime i felt unsure i could glance back quickly and be comforted by my babies face. now with my son there is almost no way to see him(we rigged a mirror up so i can look at his reflection through the rearview mirror), b4 the mirror trick i was happy when he was crying, that way at least i knew he was somewhat ok even if he was pissed at me, if u are a parent you know that most of the time the unsettling times are when you cant hear/see your child.

another trick we started doing is to take that baby on board sticker/sign you got at the baby shower, and place it on the front windshield facing in, that way you will have that constant reminder to never forget, besides the world is populated by d-bags that dont care about their driving affecting others whether they have children in the car or not.

LOL So it's my turn 2 laugh. Thank you!

"It might have to do with the fact that even after you admited you were wrong you resorted to calling me names."

U have never called anyone on these boards an "idiot" or a "moron'? LOL Of course not because U R so awesome. (sarcasm)

Come on, Honey.

I bet he didn't forget to put his money into the NFL pool

@what_the_81,

LOL

Thanx 4 lightening up the mood, dawg!

Can we just agree 2 disagree now? I would much rather make jokes.....

Or pick up a 12 pack on the way home. drunken a-hole.

xina. good answer

u dont say......maybe she left her computer for a minute. i just did. and it has nothing to do with defence of anyone. it sounds to me like you just want to be right about something. anything. and have people agree with you.....if your self confidence is wrapped up in that, you need to walk away from the computer and look at yourself for a long time.

i'm simply on here defending myself and what seven originally said all the way at the top of the post. seven made a gross generalization about a man he/she never met and a situation he/she did not witness. xina brought up a very valid point and you confused yourself and other people through the simple act of ignorance. then repeated the process a couple of times. that's why some of us came to xinas "defence".

UDONTSAY- oh give it a rest already. Clearly you're trying to engage me in a fight on line for some personal reason. This back and forth has gone way off topic and so I'm going to disengage. I'm sure you'll come back with some taunt about how I'm scared or you've proven some obscure point about my lack of character or other tripe. Frankly I don't care what you think of me. I don't need your approval.

kashmir says: "where does your arguement go if he was on ambien, abilify, effexor, xanax, imitrex, klonopin, topomax, wellbutrin, zyban....etc. and he was prescribed and had been taking the correct dose. then what? changes things huh? think before you speak" Ummm still an addict, just a legal one.

p.s. Kashmir, it's "defense"

"it sounds to me like you just want to be right about something. anything. and have people agree with you"

Nope. Sorry. Wrong.

"Clearly you're trying to engage me in a fight on line for some personal reason."

Really? How could it B personal; I don't know U. Nope. Wrong again. LOL

"I don't need your approval."

I don't need yours either.

"p.s. Kashmir, it's "defense""

Don't try 2 tell 'em. They know everything.

unknownance......that was exactly my point about still being an addict. just a state approved one. and all of those drugs effect memory. did you read the whole conversation, or only my posts so you could find a way to attack me, because it seems we agree on that point.

sorry i misspelled one word in over a thousand so far today.

Can we just agree 2 disagree now?

A similar incident happened here in Ohio, but the mother was never charged. I am sure the fact that she was Caucasian, a school teacher and her husband had connections with the state never factored in to the decision to not prosecute her (right...) The most sickening part was that she had purchased doughnuts for a meeting and she made sure they were taken into the school, while her child cooked to death in the car!

fine, i'll agree that your a troll and just looking to argue.

blondeness....dunno what to say about that one. we can all google this and find a number of similar examples. yes it is sickening.....but it is going to happen. we need to collectively focus on the solution more than the problem. instead of using energy to hate on these people, find a way to make sure no one ever has this happen to them or their child ever again. perhaps manufacturers could make a new chime or voice alert that tells you something greater than say 2lbs is in the back seat when you shut off your car. anything. i don't think it would be a difficult fix, and the reward to society would be enormous.

as for the choice not to prosecute.....that's up to people who know the details of the case. those other factors may or may not have played a role. you or i will never know.

"fine, i'll agree that your a troll"

(snicker) Your "I" should B capitalized. Oooo, that's 2 4 U & only 1 4 me! :-P

And if U R gonna get snippy, Y don't U just hit the cap lock & yell @ me.

I love how a bunch of you are giving people a "pass" on killing their babies because they were upstanding professionals. To me that is all the more reason why they are MORE guilty. Those idiots have time for every distraction in the world and act like jerks because they can. They did this precisely because they've been told since birth how wonderful they are and they are legends in their own minds. Trivialities, like taking care of their children are secondary to the accomplishments they will bring to the world.

February 2009 -

"A 7-month-old infant was found dead in the heat of a parked car Thursday near the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, authorities said.

The infant's name has not been released. Her father is a research analyst at the nearby medical school. Her mother is a staff pediatrician at St. Louis Children's Hospital.

On a day when the temperature reached the upper 90s, a woman spotted the baby girl, called 911 and
broke the car window, police Capt. James Gieseke said. The child was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The child had been in the car for three hours, Gieseke said. It's believed the mother left the child in the back seat of the father's car, but that the father thought the mother had taken the child and didn't realize it was his turn to drop her off at daycare.

"There was a horrible, devastating mix-up as to who was going to take the child to day care," Gieseke said. "It's one of the car seats that have to be in the back seat and faces to the rear."

Details were still sketchy because the couple were too distraught to give complete statements, Gieseke said."

(For all of you who wish to pass judgment on this couple and others like them, just pray that you don't ever have to live with such a costly mistake.)

Natures way of telling you you can't have kids. People today are truly special. Too bad the child paid the price. Cane his ass severely.

silverton. thank you for that. that's been my point all day on here.....

gregorovich.....there are no varying degrees of guilty or not guilty. one or the other but not more or less or sorta.

u dont say- really? grow up. xina is right....just treat you like a puppy and ignore bad behavior and reward good. if you noticed all my posts are all lower case and i don't bother a whole lot with punctuation. you need to be less concerned with my grammatical errors and punctuation and more concerned with the topic and content. you even posted you liked the light hearted approach of one person and that you would rather make jokes. i don't think this is a joking matter. good day sir.

Who goes through a 9 hour day without thinking about their baby? You CANNOT be in the proper state of mind if you didnt 1. Think about your precious newborn. and 2. Connect the dots that you had the baby this morning and didnt drop it off.

Lame kashmir. Real lame.

I can't believe it took U that long 2 come up with THAT.

This is a sad story and happens way too often. Perhaps car manufacturers will do something like not let the key be taken out of the ignition until the back seatbelts have been released. I know it is not their place, but apparently some parents are forgetting they put their children in the back seat.

not lame. mature. i know you're going to take everything i say and turn it inside out to continue antagoizing me. others gave up a long time ago. i've made my points long ago on this board, and have since only sunk lower and lower to stay on your level. nothing new or valid is coming of this, and you obviously don't care about the story, the family, or the baby. your motivations are not of good intention.....so as others have done, i'm disengaging. go hump someone elses leg for a while.

peech, see post 1.83. you're on to something with that. lets find solutions and not get lost on the problems.

"i know you're going to take everything i say and turn it inside out to continue antagoizing me."

So Y do U keep posting 2 me?

"and you obviously don't care about the story, the family, or the baby. your motivations are not of good intention"

And U obviously missed my 1st post of the day:

♪♫and it goes like this:♪♫

"This must have been the best behaved 6-month-old in the history of the world; Doesn't make 1 sound the whole time the father & both children R in the car.

Wow."

Your turn.

It is terrifyingly easy for a change in routine to lead a person to forget something like a sleeping baby. We really don't realize how much we do on autopilot. We are a distracted nation with too much on our minds.

This pretty much sums up why these kinds of things are happening more and more in our society. Our lives are way too hectic and we lose sight of our priorities. We are too busy thinking our work, the appointments we may have that day, needing groceries on our way home from work, picking up the kids and dropping them off and a million other things that keep our minds racing from the time we get up until the time we go to bed. And even then our minds race and we dont sleep properly and are running on empty most of the time. Have I done stupid things - you bet I have. I have placed a cup of coffee on the hood of my car - even my diaper bag and have driven off and had them fall off. But a child - that is a sign that something needs changing in your life. And it is not too late to do it. If you reach back and belt a baby in the carseat then you should remember you have to take them out. Same as toddlers etc. I dont think blame needs to be attached to this incident because that father has inflicted the worst pain on himself - noone needs to add to that. But we have to learn from these really bad situations - if we dont learn - each and every one of us then it was all for naught.

@SHar,

That's the best post I've read all day. Kudos.

I was a pothead when I raised my son - he is now a medical doctor - yep, seven sure knows us potheads.

Seven; what other types of people do you know so well - since you did so well on us potheads.

Prep school daycare = Catholics...lets blame god. Last name is Latino/Hispanic = lets blame his race. SUV = snob vehicle, lets blame yuppies. In Florida = lets blame Jeb Bush...look; I'm just as much a detective as seven...lol.

Absolutely tragic.

I have no idea why everyone is leaping to drugs as an explanation. There is a much simpler one: Lack of sleep! Quite common among parents of young babies. No, - not an excuse per se but maybe a reason.

Just a thought ---

I read so many of these terrible stories where for one reason or another a parent/caregiver forgot to drop off a child at a day care and instead was left in the car.

Now, I would submit that the day care would be expecting the child-- that it is not just an unplanned drop off. That being the case, if the child/baby hasn't checked in within maybe 30-minutes to an hour of the expected arrival time, it might be a good idea for the day care center to contact the parents to find out where the child is!!!!!!!!!!! This might help alert overtaxed, stressed-out parents that something is amiss BEFORE a tragedy happens. Even though not under an obligation to do so, it would be a tremendous show of caring and customer service if the day care center took the initiative to check on the whereabouts of a child who had not arrived as expected.

It won't keep all these "accidents" from happening, but I guarantee it will save some of these children/babies who can't speak up for themselves.

kashmir: sorry i misspelled one word in over a thousand so far today" lol anyways it's u-know-nance! Was not trying to attack you earlier, just wanted to make a comment on your pill question!

It is easy for people who do not like drugs to blame all bad behavior on drugs. However, anyone who thinks that only drugs, or alcohol could cause any type of forgetfulness, are just being naive.

And 'upstanding professionals'? Those two words do not always go together. Which is the reason that the term 'educated fool' came into existence.

Awfull story. Prayers for the child, family and friends. I read these comments and I'm here to tell you all, nothing you can say about this guy will make him feel any worse about himself than he already feels. I agree with Jim Spence here, just a very tragic mistake. Tyler, get off me, lol. (J/K)

Outside Temperature

Inside Closed Automobile

Indoor/Outdoor

9:00 am
82° outside of car
109° inside of car
----

9:30 am
87° outside of car
115° inside of car (and so on....)
----

10:00 am
91°
115°
----

10:30 am
94°
114°

11:00 am
98°
114°

11:30 am
100°
117°

12:00 pm
101°
119°

1:30 pm
112°
124°

2:30 pm
125°
130+°

4:00 pm
98°
110°

I can't come even close to imagining what those parents must be going through right now. How devastated they must be. Their hearts must be broken. May God be with them.

I wouldn't forget my own dog in the backseat, let alone a baby. How many of these are we going to read about every summer?? When are the consequences going to get worse for these so-called parents. It is unacceptable! It's not an accident, it's murder. Unacceptable.

I really sympathise with him, but usually if someone is with you, you seem to be always aware of their presence.

cindy and nicodemus and other sympathizers are you serious ? why is it that people only forget their children on hot days but not on cold days ? you never hear about a child that was left in the car and froze to death. as for guilty people being the ones to protest, I don't know where you get your information from but I have 2 grown children that have lived to be adults ( I'm very blessed ) and I NEVER forgot them anywhere. my sisters all have grown children and they never forgot their kids. most of my relatives have children and they never forgot their children in the car, there are a lot of evil people out there who love hurting / killing children. I don't believe in mental illness ( in most cases ) but I do believe in evilness, if you don't think that it does not exist you better look around you.

How can anyone forget a baby? Did he not have a rear-view mirror? Or was that an extra for that car? A baby makes noises...cooing, crying, etc. They should put his behind in jail where he belongs. I am sick of reading stories about parents killing or hurting children and getting away with it just because they "forgot".

im sorrey for there lose but how the hell do you forget the most importent thing in the world its not like its a bag of laundry,after having our second child me and my wife went up to walmart .went to get diapers i saw a cart with a car seat in it my wife didnt see until i cald her over,two weak old left in the store, the parents didnt even relize they left the kid behind i personaly think they should have goten there kid taken away,as i beileve the man in this storey should do at least three years and the other kids under close supervision but the lagal system wont do shyt because theyd rather see non vilont crimenals get hard time and pedifils out to do more crooked system out to protect themselvs noone els

@ nydoglover "But to say they try to sell their kids is ignorant. You are making things up and your ridiculous statements are clear you have no idea what you're talking about."
----------------------------
yes they do try to sell their kids for drug money. i know what i am talking about.

Yeah, he could just claim the kid drowned in a pool - that worked for Casey Anthony!

Now a jury of Casey's peers found her innocent.....blame them.

Of you could, I don't know, just put it up for adoption, and not go to prison, which he still has a chance of in this case?? While tragic, and irresponsible, I don't believe for one moment this was intentional.

Honestly, I don't see how this happens. If I had a child under my care, I would be aware of it presence 24-7. If he had one child in the car he dropped off, had to see the other one sitting there and Oh! needed to be dropped off too.

This happens too often and is extremely avoidable.

This is tragic, but it happens to people who are good parents, not just to people who don't care. The baby is quiet or asleep and sitting in a carseat in the backseat. I remember when it happened to a pediatrician a few years ago. People are over-stressed, in a hurry, thinking about work, school, etc., and it usually happens because they are following their normal routine which does not include dropping the baby off at sitter or daycare.

This father will have to live with this horror the rest of his life. I don't think it was intentional at all. It happens so often now, I read that you can buy devices to put on your car that sound an alarm if you leave the baby in the backseat.

A heartbreaking tragedy.

Umm, the poor baby was found dead in the car so I assure you, they WILL investigate thoroughly.

Um No this doesn't happen to good parents. I don't give a crap what is going on in my life. Child is #1. End of story! Good parents put children first. Not the rest of the stress in their life.

I hear what you are saying, silverton, but as a father of two, there is no WAY I would forget my child in a car seat, quiet or not. I'm just as over stressed and thinking about other things as the next person, but I take my responsibilities as a father very seriously. The problem with "alarms" that remind you that your child is still in the back seat is, in order for you to have it installed, you have to be responsible enough to recognize that you may be the type that could leave their child in the back seat of your parked car. However, responsible people don't leave babies in the back seat of a parked car, so it is a catch-22. This is a heart breaking story all around. Hopefully, the baby didn't suffer long and the father suffers with the pain of his irresponsibility for the rest of his life.

Even the best of parents forget their kids sometimes. Most are just fortunate enough to remember them in time, or the child doesn't suffer any serious consequences.

If this was a genuine mistake then my heart goes out to the father as he will surely hate himself for the rest of his life. He had another older kid that seemed okay so I'm guessing this is a tragic accident.

It happens usually (as in this case) when the parent who usually doesn't have the responsibility drops the kids off in the morning. Mornings are generally hectic, people are still kind of tired, they are running a thousand things through their minds, they drive the same route everyday so they don't think about where they are going or what turns they have to make to get there. The baby falls asleep and is quiet in the back and they arrive at work and don't realize that they forgot to do something.

That's why the most important thing you can do as a parent is to get in the habit of putting your purse, laptop, cellphone, etc. in the back seat EVERYTIME you go anywhere, whether or not the kids are with you. This puts you in the habit of looking in the back seat before you get out of the car and are distracted by a hundred different things. Everyone looks at these parents that this happens to and says "I could NEVER" without realizing that yes you absolutely could. Don't judge, I'm sure this father is going through enough self torture on his own. Honestly if I had done it I don't think I could live with myself.

You bet!! THAT IS MY THOUGHTS.This is happining way to much! They should be charged with manslaughter. First degree. He is not getting any of my sympathy! That Poor child!

For all of you who say that this doesn't happen to good parents, just google some of the cases like this. You might be surprised.

Though I never forgot about my children when they were in a carseat, I remember thinking the same thing the first time I heard about a case like this ... how could someone actually forget a child in their care?

There are some suggestions and ideas that have been presented for parents and caregivers of small children who follow different routines of dropping off/picking up their child. One of the suggestions is always put a certain toy in the front seat of the car everytime you have the baby on board. As you get out, the toy will remind you that the baby is in the backseat.

I don't think adding further punishment to this father's agony is necessary. He will not live a day of his life without remembering this.

mb, you are obviously NOT a parent. The best of parents do NOT forget their kids sometimes. I have never, ever, not been 100% aware of my children every moment I'm with them. Of course, I never let them toddle along half a block behind me either, like I've seen some people do. Good parents are always aware of their children, because there is nothing, absolutely NOTHING, more important than your child.

This is tragic, makes me feel sick.

Wow silverton, you sound like a stand up person yourself. I pray that you're not a parent yourself. Good parents don't forget they have kids with them in the car no matter the circumstances. He may or may not have done it on purpose, but don't try and push it off on one of your many bs reasons. He didn't forget the groceries, he forgot about a human life form. His own flesh and blood was easily dismissed because it wasn't part of his routine. Good parents don't do that.

Well, Daniel, all I can say is if you take a few minutes to research it, you will find you are wrong.

There is no excuse for this. Like another poster said, "I bet he didn't forget his cellphone". And, no, I'm not perfect either and I might forget to turn off the coffee pot when I leave the house but forgetting your child is inexcuseable in my book.

I agree with Cappy. I am the father of four girls (a set of triplets and an older daughter). I was in the military when they were born and worked a second job to try and pay for them and there is no way on earth I would forget one of them. I don't claim to be perfect but it just does not happen to GOOD parents.

Also bear in mind that this usually happens with small babies, not older children. They may not be sleeping through the night and the parent may be severely sleep deprived. Not making excuses, but providing the reasons this happens. Being aware of the reasons why it happens and what you can do to prevent it from happening to you IS what responsible parents do. People who dismiss these reasons and events as something that happens to other people and don't learn from these tradgedies are the ones at greatest risk for a repeat event.

I remember near the end of august my sister had a barbeque and a couple came in with only one of their children. We small talked for a bit and after about 20 minutes or so my brother in law asked where the 3 year old was. "oh he fell asleep so we're letting him finish his nap" in the car. Granted it was a cooler day, maybe 82 and the windows were open, but still. My BIL went outside and hung around the car just in case. But they acted like there was nothing odd at all, no reason to worry about it, etc. Why? because they thought it would have been impossible to forget their child. It's not. Don't become complacent about it.

Funny, I was a single mom from the get-go and I was extremely tired. I did everything on my own but yet, I NEVER forgot my baby.

I never forgot about my child in the backseat when I was driving. I had a mirror and would peek at him every chance I got! (Stop lights, etc.) I'd change the words of songs on the radio and sing to him. Always aware of the baby in the carseat.

Definitely not buying that a good parent would forget their child.

Silverton, I think the ones harping on 'good parents don't do this' are trying to make the point that anyone who has done this is by definition NOT a good parent. That once this happens, everything in the past is out the window and they were never a good parent. Because this doesn't happen to GOOD parents. This father probably dropped the older kid off at school every day then went to work. Dropping off the baby too wasn't part of his routine and unless she did something to draw attention to herself he was primed to forget she was there. I can't imagine the horror when he picked the older kid back up and the baby was discovered. All you sanctimonious 'I would never forget MY child', there but for the grace of god....

Just another irresponsible parent in Floriduh!!!!

Great Stacie. That's awesome. I'm so happy that you didn't accidentally kill your child.

I never understood why people felt the need on these sad articles of terrible tradgedy to stand in judgement of someone else's obvious mistake. As if they didn't feel bad enough about it.

Though I think I'm starting to get it, people want validation that they are good parents. So they compare themselves and come up with "see I never forgot my kid in a hot car, this person did, therefore I'm a good parent."

I sincerely hope that you never find yourself on the other side of this type of judgement. Me? I prefer to think that there but for the grace of God go I.

Xtina, I have agreed with all of your comments. You are very smart and this COULD happen to anyone. Thank you and the others who did not pass judgement on this man.

Xena: You make very good points. No one is perfect. What pi$$es me off is that this keeps happening over and over and over and it is in the papers and people talk about it and apparently people are still doing it. So either they are complacent, they think it won't happen to them, they are stupid, or they are negligent, or a combination of the above. Yes, people make mistakes. I feel bad for the family. But it is still the baby who really pays the price, isn't it?

Negligent homicide, means it wasn't intentional, it was an accident that caused a death. What is wrong with charging people so that they don't do it again? People argue that "they have been punished enough." Some people actually do "get rid of kids" this way and claim they forgot. How are we to know which is which? We don't know these people. It does happen.

There are ways to prevent these tragedies. There are ways to make sure you don't pour gas on your children and light them with a match, too. Some things ARE preventable. Some accidents ARE preventable. Yes, no one is perfect and people should not be complacent, but you should try to prevent these things rather than just say, oh ooooooops I forgot, I got busy, I didn't think about it.

Xina the Awesome ~ Thank for all your fine responses to these people that are so perfect and have never, ever in their entire life made a mistake or ever will.... it makes it so easy for them to pass judgment on the rest of us.

Mistakes are made, in this case a horrific one, but in no way did that father plan to do it (murder charges?). We don't know what kind of job he has (he as one!) or what kind of stress he is under. He and his family will suffer every day for their lives because of it. I know the perfect ones can never put themselves in that forgetful situation, but if they could maybe they could show a small amount of compassion for this man and his family...

Bull Buttons, NO ONE can forget their child in a car for 9 hours. No one can forget a baby for 5 minutes if they just look at them once in a while. I don't accept the explaination.

And it is not by "the grace of God" that I didn't leave either of my two children in a hot car to die when they were babies. It's called being an attentive, responsible parent. I'm also not saying that I haven't made mistakes and I'm certainly not reiterating the point to get approval from anyone or to validate that I'm a good parent. I just refuse to accept that "it could happen to anyone" argument. It's not like leaving your wallet in the car and realizing it after you have filled your basket with groceries and made it through the check out line.

Debora - and your attitude is exactly why it happens. If you had asked this father a week ago if he would ever forget his child in a hot car, I bet you he would have had a similar response. He may have even had the exact same reaction you had when reading another, similar story. So he didn't do what every article like this one follows up with, making it a habit to check your back seat before getting out of the car. And so the one time he did forget, it had disasterous consequences.

Shelly from Portland Oregon:

What is wrong with charging people so that they don't do it again?

So, how many people have left a child to die in the car more than once? Anyone at all?

Xina the Awesome - excellent posts.

Xina the Awesome, you do make some good points. But your post's have a tone of just make a child abandoned in a car analogous to stubbing one's toe. This is troubling.

xina 2012, the rest of the pompous i am the greatest trolls need to go F them selves... ty have a good day.

oh and usa1967... oh sh.it you left the coffee pot on, now the house caught fire and burned to the ground and your children are homeless.... yep great parent.

see dont judge, accedents dont = bad parents.

It's amazing how defensive people get when someone doesn't agree with them! This case is horrible, tragic, etc. but it does happen way too often. And then we have this bright comment from Kenneth Newman a/k/a Genius...."Just another irresponsible parent in Floriduh!!!!" wow

Xina is right on this. This could happen to anyone. No one is perfect and everyone has had those moments when you forget something. Great point about the children in the backseat with the air bags and some stats to back it up. I usually don't have the family dog with me and when I do I am totally paranoid I am going to forget him when I stop somewhere. He crawls in the back seat and goes to sleep instantly. I have never forgot him, but man would it be easy to do. I totally have my routines and could see how this could happen.

Someone compared this to leaving the oven on? Seriously? This is a baby!!! His baby!! I have two children and I have never ever even almost forgot that I had them with me. If you "forget," you have a defenseless child with you, you are a self centered piece of s#*@!! I don't care how many problems are on your mind. And someone saying, "Leave your purse by the baby."--If you would remember your purse, before your child you are an a-hole!!!!!!Plain and simple.

Oh and when my babies were 6 mths old, I couldn't stop looking at their cute little sleeping faces every 5 minutes in the rearview car mirror! Slow down and enjoy them, the grow up so fast! If your too self centered to remember you had a child with you and then poof he's gone, maybe something is wrong with you...

xina you are full of garbage. You pay attention, you don't forget your children. YOU are not perfect nor am I, NO ONE forgets they have a responsibility unless they have only been a parent for 2 days, this I might be able to accept. Or even if you have more than 5 or 6 children to tend to.

This is one baby. I feel so bad for that poor mother and the Dad.

I am always horrified by these stories.

Moms/Dads: If you have to put a giant paper in your car with "Check for Kids in car" to remind yourself, please do!!!

Better to look like an idiot to yourself, than to lose your child to a preventable tragedy.

Arnold: That isn't the reason for charging them. Negligent homicide isn't about INTENT. It is about negligence. Not meant as a deterrent. Meant as a consequence, an intervention. Not all charges are deterrents.....We just finished yet another case here in Oregon.

You are assuming that if they are charged that they get the book thrown at them, watch too much TV do we? The case we just finished ended up with the parents on 5 years of probation. Their sentence? Grief counseling, marriage counseling, parenting courses and therapy for the remaining children. Hmmmm..... Yeah, would have been lighter if they hadn't negligently killed two children....

So yes, there ARE parents who have repeated acts of neglect against their children when it WASN'T intentional. And here are cases that aren't that clear.... I DO suggest we charge them because those people clearly have issues. They rarely go to jail. In fact they are often GIVEN services they usually cannot afford. There are numerous cases in the case law. I am not even going to voice my opinion on that but those are the facts in MOST states (don't go blaming Oregon).

Then there is the problem of assuming all parents are innocent or it was accidental-- it isn't that simple. You don't know these parents and neither do I. All you know is what is in this article.

As I clearly stated in my post. We don't know this man. We don't have all the facts. I want to believe it was unintentional. But we don't know that at all. I'm going to wait until we know more. Some people do horrific things to their children (mothers/fathers or both).

None of you know this man or what really happened (you don't know his history or anything other than what WAS REPORTED) and you already have it all figured out from one article. Are you psychic? Sorry in court we go on facts, not opinion, not conjecture, facts of THIS CASE.

Just keep speculating and making things up and living in your make believe worlds and everything will be fine, because apparently they know you there. You will have all the answers and you will always be right, and anyone who challenges your made up "reality" is a troll and is pompous. Tune in to Law and Order and all will be well. Good luck with that.

Sad thing, real life just isn't that simple.

Yes he must be a bad parent...thats why he pays to have his kid in Private School...

He is likely a hard worker to be able to afford that, I know on my way to work I am very focused on that, clearing my mind of the personal and organizing my day in my head.

I am sure this father is tearing his soul apart right now, It is a tragedy, but I am certain not intentional. THose who accuse him of being a drunk, pothead, gambler etc are just beyond my comprehension. I am sure none of you have ever made a mistake, maybe not with the terrible consequences of this one, but I am sure you are perfect.

It reminds me of my having left my dog on the bed recently, she is white and blends in well. She cannot get down on her own, so I paid the price when she had to use the bathroom while I was out. I thought my partner had done it as he always does. (No a dog is not a child and her life was not in danger as we never leave her alone for more than 4-5 hours) but you can bet I will make sure from now on. But in many ways it is a similar mistake.

That father will deal with this for the rest of his life, so will the rest of his family. I feel for the Baby and the entire family. When I have driven my niece or nephews around and they were strapped in the back I hated that, I could not keep an eye on them--there must be a better way. A seat, when put in place, that disables the airbags..cannot be that hard. So the parent can watch and connect with the child, instead of the child being alone and unable to see the parent.

They probably didn't.

But if birth control and/or abortion aren't easily available...I guess people are stuck with their stupidity. Most aren't smart enough to even consider adoption (too many brain cells goes into something like that I suppose). And, unless Child Protective Services intervenes, children are subject to these irresponsible animals feeding off of animal instincts...sounds more like a vicious circle to me.

ENOUGH already with the "if birth control & abortion aren't EASILY available..." They already ARE. Go into a drugstore or even a supermarket and take a look at the stuff that's available over-the-counter. I won't even go into the pills that are available, or a diaphragm or IUD. For the men, there's the ol' snip-snip.

Please. This isn't about AVAILABILITY. It's about people who are too damned careless, too damned lazy, and too damned cheap to take responsibility. Everybody is waiting for Big Brother Government to pay for their meds, feed them, and wipe their noses and butts. GROW THE EFF UP and look in the mirror for the answer to the question!!!

Had it been a tax time he would have remembered he does have a child. Child expense deduction. Such a tragedy.

Steve Vercelli.. what does this have to do with Big Brother Government? Omg.. this is a guy that obviously has a job.

As for the father, I don't care if taking the kids to daycare and school aren't your everyday duty, You damn well know that that extra stop for you had to be on your mind because it was a change in your morning schedule. YOUR child may have been quiet but that is no excuse for "forgetting" to take care of your baby.

What a sick comment mark...says a lot about you. You think you're cute...what comes out of your mouth is horrific. Now YOU live with it.

This happens all too often. If I am not mistaken there was a case in the Dal TX area of a father, a police officer, doing the same thing. Forgot about the child, leaving the child in his car, while he went to work.

Anybody with a dick can be a daddy, but it takes a man to be father.

This should be automatic criminal negligence charge.

Joe: I totally agree. But a whole lot of people jumped on me for that. What is wrong with accountability?

For most people, babies aren't that important regardless of what they say.

Florida.

What kind of car did this guy have? A stretch limo where he couldn't see 20 feet to the back seat! He DID, I assume, strap the kid in its car seat that morning along with belting the other child. Kids aren't always quiet so the baby must have been quiet while sucking on a bottle and I also assume the father didn't notice the diaper bag in the back seat.

Pity that poor kid screaming when it woke up, really breaks your heart.

I think, although the story is pretty vague on this point, the baby was discovered when he picked up his older child from his school not at the daycare. I don't think he ever went to the daycare.

I have a 10 month old and we are settling into a routine. However, parents of young babies are ZOMBIES! I remember this time. Why was he bringing the baby to daycare when it wasn't part of his routine? Maybe mom was sick. Maybe Dad spent the entire night up with a teething kid so mom could sleep? It's horrible, but sleep deprivation does crazy things.

You should not be driving a car if you're sleep deprived. Period!

Joe, easier said than done. Some kids don't sleep through the night for years--you suggesting that all those people quit their jobs and go on welfare so they don't drive? Give me a break.

I can't imagine forgetting my kids in the car because they were always screaming at the top of their lungs during car rides. But a father totally intent on work issues and driving on autopilot...yeah, I can see an accident like that happening. Not that it excuses anything. But the people on here claiming that the family "wanted" to get rid of a kid or accusing the father of being on drugs (yeah, lots of private school parents are meth addicts /sarc)--that's just sick. The family will suffer their whole lives for this. It's a horrible thing that happens far too often.

I like the suggestion that I've seen before that people should put their briefcases, purses, phone, whatever, in the back seat with the kid so they never forget to look. Makes a lot of sense and could save lives.

Apparently it is not impossible. It happened!!

Lisa,

figurative language sweetheart...

Simple, you're the usual moron who only remembers to update his Facebook status every 5 minutes.

It is easy to become sleep deprived, overworked, and stressed when you have young children. A good way to combat this is to find little compensations. With the baby in the rear seat (sleeping quietly) it would be a good idea to engage some memory tricks - make a checklist, or tuck your cellphone or wallet under the baby seat while driving.

How about just get into the habit of looking carefully into the car every time you park (and before re-entering the car.) This could help with several safety/security/memory issues, like making sure there is nothing valuable in sight, making sure the doors are locked, making sure you did not leave the groceries in the car, not to mention the baby. For re-entry, you are checking that no one is lying on the rear floor, no windows broken, all doors remain locked, etc.

Joe.

Please tell us who you are referring to....

If it was his intent, yes murder. If it was not his intent, then manslaughter.

OfficeJunkie, the "fullest extent of the law" does not consider this murder.

Cat - That's the problem. If these killers were prosecuted, we'd see an enormous drop in the frequency of these stories. I guarantee it.

You wouldn't see an enormous drop because no one thinks that this could happen to them, it only works as a deterrent when people are intentionally doing things. This is 99.9% of the time unintentional and happens to generally upstanding citizens with good jobs and are until that moment good parents.

And would it serve any purpose to pay for his keep in prison for years and years rather than letting him continue to work? I think not. He's not a danger to society. Prison is for separating those who are dangerous the public at large. You can't punish this guy more than he'll be punished already. It was an accident.

I remember being so tired when I had an infant that one morning I was pouring myself a glass of water--holding the glass in one hand and the pitcher of water in the other--and wondering how the water was getting all over the floor. If you're a parent and can't understand distraction, I envy you. I have no facebook page, no smart phone, and no TV, but I live in a state of perpetual exhaustion. I can't imagine forgetting my kids either, but I'm leaving it for G-D to judge this man--not me.

Exactly! I have forgotton my cup of coffee on the roof once or twice - but NEVER forgot my baby was in the car. How does that happen??

This has nothing to do with government-mandated airbags. It has everything to do with a brain dead father. How do you forget your kid is in the back seat? Many vehicles now have the ability to turn off the passenger side airbag. Besides, the reason the government had to mandate airbags in the first place was the automakers balked at putting them in, claiming people wouldn't pay the extra cost. They did the same thing with seat belts in the 60's until they were forced to put them in every car.

Actually, I agree with Clark. Now, I never forgot my child was with me (I'm a stay at home mom, they are ALWAYS with me) but I can see how a changed routine could really cause you to forget a quiet baby was in the backseat.

With a carseat in the front, this would have been totally prevented, as would all the other ones we've read about inthe last 5 years. Most minivans (mom cars) DO have airbags that turn off when there is less than 40 pounds so MOMs can put baby in front seat but a Dad that usually doesn't have the kid in the first place, and dirves a "dad" car, doesn't have this option.

It seems that it has been split about 50-50 which parent is forgetting the baby but in every case I've seen recently, it was a parent that normally DIDN'T have the baby with them and in EVERY case, it was a sedan....

So JClark has a very valid point, baby seat in the FRONT can prevent these deaths. Have cars that allow you to switch off or that have sensor type airbags and VOILA! Problem solved.

(BTW, when my kids were carseat age, they were in the front of a car with no airbag until they were old enough to talk with me while we were out... kids b. 1998 and 2001)

Kids getting killed by being left in a hot car happens more rarely than kids being killed in the front seat during an accident. Just put your stuff--purse, briefcase, phone (!)--with the baby and the problem is solved. Nobody walks into work without their bags...you'd go back if you forgot & then see the kid. It's an easy fix.

How about another mandated safety device? If a child seat is in place in the rear seat, an alarm that sounds like a crying baby sounds when the driver door is opened.

Why do you assume that he is on welfare?

In fact, since he was at work all day, a rational person would assume he wasn't on welfare.

Maybe he works at the welfare office. That would put him on welfare.

And that he pays to have his older kid inPrivate School. Not typical or someone on welfare.

Would you have asked this question if his name was John Smith?

While having the daycare contact a parent would be helpful, certainly a daycare shouldn't have to be responsible for a child that ISN'T there. That's just making more excuses to NOT be personally responsible for yourself.

Accountability has vanished from this country in a HUGE way.

This is a tragic accident but the father will be held accountable and should be.

Could the people that really make those calls always remember to make them?

Completely agree... and if the parents don't answer, call the next person listed as an emergency contact. It'd give a quick heads up to kidnappings, neglect, etc.

Kowripper: If you put your kid in the car then you are NOT going to forget they are there. Are you telling me that it was hard for you to remember that you placed your child into the car and needed to take it to daycare or school? If so please tell me that your wife or husband is the one who is RESPONSIBLE for your child now since you are not RESPONSIBLE enough to be left alone with your child. You are probably one of those parents who did not know their kid was playing with matches or playing with the blind cords or any other stupid neglectful acts/EXCUSES parents use when their child is injured or killed.

As for airbags and how kids are in the back of the car, again I have to ask who in the hell is placing these children into the car when these so called parents drive off with them??? BTW: My vehicle does have a off switch for the airbag so I guess you need to complain to the car manufacturers with regards as to why this feature is not standard on all makes and models of cars.

Completely agree with this. Having checks and double-checks can't hurt, and can only save lives. Whether we believe it or not, this situation happens and with no malice whatsoever.

However, I have heard stories from quite a few friends who had on occasion forgotten about their child and only discovered it after being well en route to their jobs.

They're on dope!

I totally agree, KowRipper.

USA- I have 3 kids. We can only fit 2 kids in my husband's car, and he needed to take our van to pick up a new appliance. We had been hanging out with my parents and we needed to figure out how to get all 3 kids home. We decided that my husband would take the baby and I would take the 2 older kids since they had school in the morning. Right before we left, however, the baby decided she was going to scream her head off until I fed her and I ended up staying behind to feed her. I ended up taking my oldest (6 years old) and the baby home while my husband took my middle child. I was not the one who put my baby in the car. I had lots of stuff to carry and it was my dad who loaded the kids into the car for me. The baby had fallen asleep and was quiet all the way home. When we got home, I unloaded all of our things and my son got himself out of the car. I closed the garage door and my son had to remind me that I'd left the baby in the car. Now, she'd only been out there for 3 minutes, but it scared the crap out of me that I'd forgotten all about her. I could have sworn she was with my husband! Had my son not reminded me, she would have probably spent at least an hour in the car before my husband came home. I have never done drugs in my life. I have never even tasted alcohol. (I'm LDS) Keep your judgements to yourself. You have no idea what you are talking about. Good parents still make mistakes, and unfortunately, they can be major ones. I feel for this father and hope and pray he can find a way to forgive himself.

I think there's a difference between forgetting until you are en route to work, or even until you arrive there, and turning around to correct your mistake, and forgetting ALL day.

Not buying this. It's completely the parents responsibility, not the day care facility.

KowRipper and Mommyo, are the same people who gives his kids a fork and tells em to stick in in an electric socket to see what will happen.

usa, wow ... thank you for judging me as a parent based upon a single comment I made. Real classy there ! First off, I never forgot that my child was in the car with me. I had to turn the opposite way out of my driveway to go to daycare, which was 5 minutes away. So, it would have been kind of hard to forget that. However, like anybody else, I've had my forgetful moments. As a parent with so much going on, you're bound to forget things here and there. Clearly you've forgotten things before, no ? I'm sure it's a lot harder to forget if you are the primary person responsible for dropping off your child at day care. But, I could easily see certain situations where a change of routine or other circumstances could cause this to happen, especially since the child is in the back seat and possibly out of view. I'm not sure why some of people here can't understand how it might happen. Personally, if my daughter was in day care for any significant amount of time, I'd certainly want to have some safeguards in place to make sure this didn't happen to me.

bubba, I have an idea. Why don't you keep your judgments to yourself. You have absolutely NO IDEA what type of person I am. I am a lot more involved with my daughter than most parents I observe. I had never forgotten that I had my daughter with me. I just realize that when you have a family you have a LOT on your mind and it's pretty much going non-stop.

Kow, sorry but your comment, doesn't fit! I had to exchange students, and they were the first people me and my wife thought of no matter how busy we were, because we became their parents while they were in our care! Don't tell me I don't realize ho non stop it can be these were 16 and 7 year old girls!

why? people like this would be too stupid to sue it.

coffeebuzz- great idea! a beep of some sort.

Coffeebuzz: You are joking right????? If you need a device that lets you know that you still have yur child in the car with you then perhaps you should put down the coffee and try to remember you have child in the car and not so much on the idea of "did I get my coffee buzz this morning"? If we have to go to this type of device then there should be mandatory screening before you can take your kid home with you to raise.

Just a thought!!!!!

Then the company that makes the car seat can be blamed for the baby's death when it doesn't work. We really are making machines and things smarter so we can be a society of stupid idiots

Someone needs to come up with a carseat that lets you know if the baby is still in it while it's in the car.

We already have. You may know it by it's more common name: BRAIN.

I think one that blares out of the car this idiot just left his kid in the car, it will only happen one time,I'll bet you. Embarrassment does wonders!

If people are that stupid they shouldn't have a child at all. Then they will need a device that tells you to change the child, feed the child. Get a virtual pet and leave the child-rearing to people with a brain.

Coffee, sad but true. What a decline we as humans have taken, to even think we need something like this. Sad but true.

I have a better idea. They need to make a device that is inserted into the ear that says "you have a child" every 5 minutes while they are awake.

Just like the 'beeep' if you don't fasten your seat belt. Great idea.

This happened to a colleague. He is an upstanding, well-educated professional who doesn't do drugs or drink and he adored his daughter. She was their first child, who was very much planned and wanted. He is a super nice guy who treats everyone well. No one ever wants to believe it can happen to them, but it can. Lack of sleep, a change in routine, distractions- all kinds of things can cause a memory lapse. Most of us are on autopilot in the mornings, and a beloved child doesn't change that. It's utterly heartbreaking and tears a person's world apart.

Sounds more like 'being a father' wasn't part of his routine.

Agree Shay! How any parent can't put their kids first and foremost in their minds is beyond me! No excuse!

Guys please, don't judge the father of the baby that way.

The baby was just six months old,the father don't take the baby to the daycare that much or that often.

The mother couldn't take the baby to the daycare as she used to and that particular day he just forgot he precious baby was with him.

I am not a father,but i couldn't imagine the horror of finding your baby dead in your car,as a loving father/mother that is something you could never forget for the rest of your life.

My sincere condolence to the family and god may brace & comfort the soul of this innocent angel

I am flabbergasted at how many say how easy it is to overlook a baby...sleeping or otherwise. This is your own child, your heart, your own flesh and blood.

Don't know the answer to this one. Some would say put him in jail, he killed the child. On the other hand, had I done something like this and killed my on child, no amount of jail would fix it. I would have to live with the most horrible demons I could imagine, my own guilt. Can't even imagine!!!

faithfulwife, it just goes to show how many around are now that are 'out in left field'.

I do not believe him. How could you not have known the child is not there. Do you not look into the rear-view mirror when driving. The baby was in his sights during his entire trip. He saw this child an neglected to do his due diligence in taking care of this child. I do not believe him. And especially when something is not routine, it tends to stay on the mind until the deed is accomplished. He did not care. I cannot understand how the Mother of the child did not call him to check to see if all went well regarding the infant. This does not make sense. And yes Miami has its abundance of illegals.

Probably both!!

@ AI scootertramp.

So what the immigrant status has to do with that ?

What are you exactly mean ? That only US citizens loves their kids, Stop the hate !!!!

And no,i am not a illegal immigrant just in case your try to come with that excuse your idiot.

He did bring up the illegal immigrant angle. But I would like to add that we should not leave it up to gen'l Motors or any car manufacturers or to technology. I don't agree with that analogy.

People need to own up to their responsibility as a parent / as a person. That requirement has been divied to others. Handle your business, and not leave it to others to do what is required of you. When alarms are used, the mind gets lazy; the individual is reliant on something artificial instead of their own wherewithall or volition.

Do you not look into the rear-view mirror when driving. The baby was in his sights during his entire trip.

My rear view mirror provides a view of the things that are behind my vehicle. Not the back seat of my vehicle. And if the child was in a rear-facing child seat, behind the driver's seat it would not be visible even if the mirror was angled to show the back seat.

I do not feel the father should be "charged" with any crime. I do really like your tip about putting what you need to take to work next to the child. Thank you for that. I certain this will help save lives.

Horn: You actually admitted to forgetting your cat when you arrived at the VET?????? Why in the hell did you think you were there?? Really. I hope you dont own any more animals because if you cant remember to take them into the vet office even though that is the sole purpose for the visit then you probably dont remember to feed it either.

FOLKS: If you have to place things beside you or have reminders as to what in the hell you need to do for the day then perhaps you need to re-evaluate what in the hell you are doing in life because there is NO way in hell I would EVER forget my kid was in the car. I know where my kid is at 24 hours of the day and my husband is not some dumbass Father who does not participate in his kids life so the statement of it could happen to any FATHER because they dont normally take kids to daycare is a BS excuse. To say that means you all think that MEN are too stupid to multi task and that is not the case, just lazy ass men dont like to participate in the raising of their kids.

I don't have children either, but I do have a dog. And I have taken her to the vet and to numerous places. I never ever forget her. And when I do a quick stop to a store, I always make sure that the window is open for fresh air, that her bowl of water is filled (usually it is filled even before I drive out of my driveway, but I always check again in case). Ditto for my husband.

So if I can remember my dog, how can a parent forget his own child ? Especially when it is not part of the routine, he should have been extra vigilant.

Please come down from your soap box usa. You must be getting a nose bleed.

@ USA is great !!

i wouldn't argue about you not forgetting your kids in your car,but do we for a minute can think what was the situation when the father jump out of the car.

Sometimes events that distracts your usually happens,and who knows that was the situation during the moment

USA, People search for "BS excuses" because it is unfathomable that a parent would be the cause of a child's death. But we are all just human. Haven't you ever arrived somewhere and realized you got there on auto pilot? You were thinking about how to solve that problem at work or about the argument you had with your spouse or about a sick parent, etc. ???

Not everyone can "re-evaluate what in the hell you are doing in life" because so many of us are working a full time job on top of raising a family on top of keeping a home on top of caring for elderly parents on top of something else..... our minds are full. I am not saying that it is right, I am just saying it is life.

If this man was truly a "lazy ass" and not participating in raising his children he would not have been going to work at all. You seem angry and it is warranted, but so isn't a little compassion. If not for for this parent then for the others who have made the same tragic mistake. It would be wonderful if we were all perfect, but that just isn't reality.

P.S. Don't be too concerned about Horn's cat, they have a way of reminding their humans it is time to be fed.

I've worried about forgetting my dog in the car, especially because she is usually very quietly laying down in the back row of my van. I've found it is helpful to set her leash next to me on the driver's seat as a visual reminder that she is in the car with me.

USA: Thankfully a good dad would do that. Even if you are distracted guess what, you think of the kids first. That is what good parents do. That isn't a soapbox, that is standing up for what is right. Protecting your family comes first and that includes the children.

A cell phone, coffee, briefcase would be part of his normal routine. This really could have been a horrific accident. What difference does it make if he's pro-choice or not?

Ya but he foregot where he had to drive to didn't he., the second he got in the car, say what, you put the kid in the car to drive it to day care, and for get to drive the child to day care! HOW DISTRACTED ARE YOU!

I feel bad for the baby, but also for the mom who no one has thought of here. She just spent 3/4 of a year growing a human being, and asked her husband to do a task that would take an hour out of his day. I guess he had his priorities.

TeePey, My thoughts exactly! Poor mama! This would be one very tough thing to forgive, ya know? Accidental or not! RIP little one.

Hawaiian -- If you're going to call someone "retarded" at least spell it correctly. A 6mo old would be in a rear-facing seat. That seat might always be in place in his car, and if the baby was asleep, I can see how he might fall into auto-pilot mode and go on his usual path to work. It is extremely tragic and whether or not he is charged with a crime, he will live with this for the rest of his life.

Thanks cupcakemaker post makes sense to me.This is a dismal,depressing report.I am always surprised when I read these comments.Some are so hate filled and vile.When you read this kind of news it is my opinion that you should immediately put yourself in the shoes of the human being who made the mistake,did the deed,was involved in the event...you know what I mean.Put yourself THERE for a minute because that is probably ALL the time it would take for a normal human being to feel compassion.I am not a religious person at all.Though that does not stop me from praying.I do believe in the power of prayer.If the 1000+ people who commented here took 20 seconds to project a thought of compassion or forgiveness.A healing thought to this man and his family..it would help you and them.IMO this is a part of what being human IS.

We're talking about a human being here, not a lunchbox....

Actually no, I have not started driving to work even though I meant to go somewhere else.

We have come to be so lazy and complacent that we expect others to make sure we remember things that are supposed to be important to us. Come on we have alarms so we don't leave our lights on and alarms so that we don't lock our keys in the vehicle, so let's make the car companies put in alarms so that we don't leave our children in the vehicle.

Years ago we would drive down the road singing songs and playing guessing games with our kids to keep them occupied. Now that would be considered lame. Instead we have DVD players and give our kids Ipods or cell phones to keep them occupied so we don't have to deal with them. Now, everything is more important than our children.

It is NOT the job of car manufacturers to do the job the parent is supposed to do...REMEMBER YOU HAVE YOUR CHILD IN THE CAR. All that is, is looking for someone else to blame for your stupidity and carelessness.

You are the parent, and you are solely responsible for the safety of your child while you have the baby in your care.

Seriously, how hard is that? And how stupid do you have to be to not remember you put a baby in the car? We're not talking about leaving your cell phone in the car but a HUMAN BEING, a defenseless baby that is dependent upon you to take care of them.

It's the father's fault for leaving his baby in the car, and I can only hope karma comes back to this man quickly for killing an innocent baby.

My kids are on my mind all the time. They are my biggest priority and most important job ever. If they can't depend on me to care for them, who can they depend on?

Sidhe, are you so perfect that you could never make a mistake? Have never made a mistake? What is so wrong about taking precautions. Incidentally, over 70% of hospital admissions for children are due to unintended injury (aka accidents).

i can relate, though...i accidently left my little boy in the car one time, and went into the store. i was gonna get some dinners for us and they didn't have much, well there was a subway right next to it so i just walked...i wound up spilling the drinks and had to go back to subway. when i got back to the car is when i realized that my boy was in the car. he was asleep and at that time i usually didn't take my kids to the store or anything like that. i felt so bad about that i didn't know what to do...i used to think how could someone do that...until i did it....no its not an excuse. but it was an honest mistake. now he wasn't in the car that long and it was around 6 in the evening. he was only in there about 15 min. or 20 min. but it still scared me because i said the same thing....how could i leave my child in the car like that.

kyle these idiots will neer understand how something like this could happen.

Until it happens to them

I am not used to having kids in my car, so when I drive my nieces and nephews I am ridiculously mindful. I used to make them stay in the car until I came around and opened the door, then they had to hold my hand when we were in the parking lot or on the street. I hated when they had to be in the back seat in a car seat..that made me nervous.

But as they two nephews got older and moved to the front seat and just a seatbelt I \sometimes wished they were in the back seat so they could not access the radio! And when I tried to hold their hands in the street I sooner of later got a "I am NOT A KID!" looks. Now they are just 'too cool' for just about any of that.

My niece will still hold my hand but I can see that will end soon I know I am going to miss that hand holding mine. but she stays very close to me so I won't worry. I will never have kids of my own...so I live vicariously through my brothers kids.

so says Mohammad who Raped Goats.... we are all taking you seriously.

Ok grant you the baby may have been sleeping, but if he dropped off his other children, which I'm pretty sure they were in the back seat of the car where the baby was, how can he look back there and still forget his baby is in the car?

tell that to the dead baby

I agree. No one said he had little kids other than the baby in the back of the car. It says he dropped of ONE of his children at school, which could be an older child who sits in the front and just hopped out of the car at drop off.

Sleep deprivation can cause horrible things to happen. Unfortunately, when you are trying to work and take care of that new baby, plus manage the other child's life as well, it can drain you. You don't think straight all of the time.

I feel sad for the dad, because he has to live with this thought for the rest of his life; that his actions caused his little girls death. It's punishment enough. The guilt and shame. I refuse to point fingers and hate on him.

I will say this and it does not lay blame on anyone, but personally, since I take care of my kids 99.9% of the time while their Dad works and I work overnights in health care that I call my husband when I get to work and at break to see how the kids are doing. If you can do that when you have a little one and the parent who does not usually do the dropping off and just give a jingle and see how drop off went at daycare, that might help lessen these incidents.

@Roxanne, you need to take the blinders off and realize that any responsible parent and see to it that the child was taken care of...routine or not!

There was a father here in Louisville that did exactly the same thing with his daughter and he was not charged in any way..no way labeled him a drug addict, talked about how could he have forgotten his kid in the back seat of the car..I mean everyone just seemed to shrug and say what a terrible thing this was...