A Nevada father is facing child abuse charges after he and his two children were found Monday in a scorching hot vehicle in a nearby desert suffering from heat-related illnesses, authorities said.
The Henderson Police Department said officers were responding to a missing person investigation and later found Brian Laugeson, 59, and his two young children in a nearby desert area. The children, ages 3 and 4, and Laugeson were going in and out of consciousness, and were unresponsive, KLAS-TV reported.
A police arrest report, obtained by the television station, stated that the temperature was 105 degrees with 14% humidity when the three were found and there were signs of possible narcotics use in the vehicle. The children were also “naked and visibly suffering from heat-related illnesses,” and one child had a seizure, CNN reported.
All three were transported to an area hospital in critical condition, police said. Blood tests on Laugeson indicated that he “had ingested illegal narcotics,” according to the report.
Laugeson was booked in absentia to the Henderson Detention Center and faces two counts of child abuse or neglect with substantial bodily harm, police said. Online Henderson Justice Court records show his bail was set at $50,000.
“This is an active and ongoing investigation with nothing further to advise at this time,” the Henderson Police Department said.
Henderson is about 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
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Brian Laugeson has a history of child endangerment
Online court records show that Laugeson has had a history of child abuse and endangerment, including two criminal complaints filed against him nearly two weeks ago and in 2006.
According to the police report, a friend had reported Laugeson and his two children missing after not hearing from them since Sunday. The friend told Henderson police that Laugeson and the children were supposed to go to church but never showed up.
Laugeson’s other child was left behind at his apartment and attempted to contact his father several times Sunday night, the report said. KLAS-TV reported that it was not uncommon for Laugeson to leave for long periods of time, even with his children.
Laugeson and his wife are separated, and had arranged for Laugeson to have the children over the weekend, according to the report. Laugeson’s wife also attempted to contact him and told police that employees at their children’s daycare had refused to let him pick up the children Friday because he appeared to be under the influence, KLAS-TV said.
Police found Laugeson and the two children inside his vehicle Monday afternoon after locating his cell phone, the report said.
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Heat wave makes hot cars more dangerous
Record-smashing temperatures have sweltered much of the United States in recent weeks, causing millions of Americans to endure intense heat and putting vulnerable groups at further risk.
Medical emergencies are exacerbated by heat, increasing mortality rates and illnesses, according to Arizona State University researcher Pope Moseley. Children, the elderly and pets are at the highest risk when it comes to heat in cars. And a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s.
The largest jump in temperature occurs within the first 10 minutes after a car is turned off, according to Janette Fennell, founder and president of advocacy group Kids and Car Safety.
While most incidents are unintentional or unknowingly done, Kids and Car Safety Director Amber Rollins said the group “has seen an upward trend in the number of cases of children found unattended in a vehicle with an adult who has suffered an overdose or is incapacitated.”
Rollins noted that children should never be left unsupervised in a vehicle since temperatures inside vehicles can reach dangerous levels, especially during intense heat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has warned that on a 60-degree day, the temperature inside a car could reach up to 110 degrees over several hours.
“In 2018 and 2019, we saw a record number of hot car deaths — 53 children died each year — the most in at least 25 years,” according to the agency.
Last year, 33 children died of heatstroke in vehicles, according to the agency. So far in 2023, at least 14 children have died in hot cars — making the death toll on track with previous years, Fennell said.
Contributing: Doyle Rice and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY