LAKELAND, Fla. — A Florida couple whose 18-month-old girl died unattended in a car left in sizzling heat after they returned from a July 4th party have been charged in connection with the child’s death, officials said.
Joel and Jazmine Rondon, both 33, face one felony count of aggravated manslaughter of a child. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Thursday afternoon that he thinks the “horrible, tragic death” of the toddler was not an accident, but negligence caused by the couple’s use of illegal drugs and alcohol.
“That’s a disaster waiting to happen,” he said. “Here’s one more person who is dead — a baby who can’t help itself — because of the abuse of drugs.”
The toddler was at least the 10th child to die after being left a hot car this year, according to advocacy group Kids and Car Safety, including five children who died in Florida.
What happened to the toddler?
Judd said deputies discovered the Rondons took three children — ages 8, 6, and 18 months — out to a Fourth of July celebration in downtown Lakeland, about 60 miles southwest of Orlando. They returned to their home at about 3 a.m. the next morning. The couple began unloading food and other items from their Hyundai Elantra.
Jazmine Rondon asked her husband to bring the toddler inside while she helped the older two children, Judd said. The right rear passenger door of the car was open at the time.
Joel Rondon told deputies he brought items inside the house and when he went back outside, he saw all the vehicle’s doors were closed. He assumed that his wife had gotten the toddler out and went to lie down, according to the sheriff.
Neither the husband nor wife asked the other if they had put the toddler to bed, Judd said.
Joel Rondon woke at about 10 a.m. Wednesday and spent an hour getting ready for work. About 11 a.m., he asked his 8-year-old to “check on the baby,” according to deputies. The child said the toddler wasn’t in the bedroom, at which point he began to search the house. His wife was still asleep.
Joel Rondon went outside and found his 18-month-old daughter, unresponsive, still strapped in her car seat in the vehicle, Judd said. It was parked in the driveway in the full sun. The heat index at the time was estimated at 105 degrees, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We will try to re-create with the same temperatures to determine the heat in the car,” Judd said. “Research shows us the heat of the car could have been anywhere between 130 to 170 degrees at that time.”
In a panic, Rondon brought the toddler, still in her car seat, inside the house to his wife, who has medical training. She immediately knew the child was dead, Judd said.
The couple drove the toddler to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center for treatment, but the toddler could not be revived. The child’s internal body temperature was 104.4 degrees at 2:42 p.m. despite medical treatment. Hospital staff notified law enforcement of the situation.
The Department of Children and Families administered quick drug screens to the couple more than 17 hours after leaving the party. Joel Rondon tested positive for methamphetamines, marijuana and alcohol. Jazmine Rondon screened positive for marijuana and alcohol, Judd said.
“They are remorseful that the child’s dead,” Judd said. “The investigation is ongoing at this time.”
The sheriff’s office did draw blood from the couple that will be sent to a laboratory for a full forensic workup, Judd said.
An autopsy report determined the toddler’s cause of death was hyperthermia caused by being left in the car. It determined the 18-month-old was otherwise healthy. The couple’s two other children are currently with relatives while DCF investigates the infant’s death.
Experts warn of dangers of hot cars
Judd encouraged drivers whose vehicles do not have a warning system that someone or something might be in the backseat to create their own system of checking the vehicle for children or pets.
It’s rare for drugs or alcohol to be involved in cases of children who die after being left in hot cars, according to the advocacy group Kids and Car Safety, which tracks hot car deaths. The majority of deaths since 1990 have been accidental, with otherwise loving parents forgetting them or miscommunicating with another caregiver. The group advocates for laws requiring technology be standard in vehicles that would issue an alert if it detects anyone left in the back seat.
“An occupant detection and alert system could have gotten assistance to this sweet angel before it was too late,” Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety, said in a statement.
More than 1,050 children have died in hot cars since 1990, according to Kids and Car Safety.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY