Infant dies after being discovered 'unresponsive' in hot vehicle outside Mass. day care

An infant was pronounced dead after being found in a hot vehicle in Lexington, Massachusetts, police said.

Officers received the report about the "unresponsive" infant inside the car on Tuesday around 5:30 p.m. According to Wicked Local, part of USA TODAY Network, the vehicle was parked outside a daycare.

According to a news release from Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Lexington Chief of Police Michael McLean, the baby, who would have turned 1 year old on August 31, was transported to a local hospital, where he was confirmed to be dead.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the infant was never inside the daycare and had been in the vehicle "for an extended period of time," officials said. The medical examiner will confirm the cause and manner of death.

According to the Weather Channel, it was about 80 degrees in Lexington, which is about 22 miles from Boston, on Tuesday.

USA TODAY's Janet Loehrke reported that cars can heat up quickly; interior temperatures can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes. The graphic below illustrates the rise in interior heat on a day when it's 95 degrees outside.

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Children ages 3 and under most common hot-car victims

Per Kids and Car Safety, "Approximately 88% of children who die in hot cars are age 3 or younger, and the majority (55%) were unknowingly left by an otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver."

Kids and Car Safety Director Amber Rollins pointed out that it's easy to forget when a child is in a rear-facing seat inside the car, according to WFXT.

“When you think about this, you’ve got a young child who is in a rear-facing car seat, you can’t see them from the driver’s seat, you can’t hear them because they all fall asleep the second you start driving. This is something that you just don’t recover from," Rollins told the outlet.

Earlier this month, a Texas mother was charged for the 2023 death of her 2-month-old son, who died inside a 100-degree car.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].