Mother ‘left 7-month-old baby to die alone in scorching hot car’ | US | News

A Georgia mother was accused of leaving her seven-month-old baby inside a sweltering car while she worked nearby on a hot day.

Nyla Simmons, 22, allegedly left the baby in the vehicle before going to work at the neighboring Kia Automotive Dealership on Ledo Road in Albany. She then noticed the baby was unresponsive and rushed to the hospital.

The child died tragically. Following the devastating incident on October 16, an investigation was launched.

The mother now faces charges of second-degree murder and cruelty to a child, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. It remains unclear how long Simmons left the baby in the vehicle, but temperatures in the area rose to a sweltering 31 degrees Celsius that day. Reflect the USA.

While an autopsy was performed, the findings have not yet been released.

Coroner Michael Fowler told reporters: “If there is no trauma or injury to the child then most of the time you just have to wait [toxicology] and histology, all of that to come in and see what it is.”

GBI officers arrested Simmons on Nov. 3. Simmons remains behind bars.

The case follows that of an Arizona man facing criminal charges for allegedly drinking beer, playing video games and viewing pornography after his 2-year-old daughter died from car heat exposure on a scorching 42-degree day last summer. Christopher Scholtes, 37, pleaded guilty after being charged with first-degree murder in the July 9, 2024 death of his daughter, Parker.

However, he could not attend the hearing where he would be sent to prison.

Following an investigation, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced him dead on Wednesday. Phoenix police are currently investigating the incident as a potential suicide.

At a previous hearing in Tucson, prosecutors presented evidence showing the father had a long history of leaving his children unattended in vehicles. This was supported by witness statements and text messages between husband and wife, which were seized by investigators during the criminal investigation.

In this particular case, prosecutors allege that the father was distracted by video games and adult content, leaving his child in his car parked in Marana’s driveway for more than three hours, resulting in the woman’s death.

Prosecutors also presented text messages they believed showed a pattern of reckless behavior by the father who repeatedly left his children inside vehicles.

Two of his daughters told police he had previously left them in cars and was often “distracted playing while putting away groceries,” according to police records.

The father told investigators he left his daughter in the car with the air conditioning on for 30 minutes because she fell asleep on the way home from shopping. He later admitted that the car’s engine automatically shut off after 30 minutes.