Mother arrested on murder charge days after baby’s hot car death

JENNINGS, La. (AP) — A Louisiana woman whose baby died after being left in a hot car last week has been arrested on a charge of second-degree murder.

Hannah Faith Cormier, 32, of Jennings, was being held Tuesday with bond set at $1 million following her arrest, Jefferson Davish Parish court records showed. She was arrested on Sunday.

The Jennings police department told southwest Louisiana news outlets that the baby died a day after Cormier took her to a hospital on Aug. 13.

Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes said the woman said she left the baby in her car inadvertently after being called to work. Semmes said the arrest followed a review of witness statements, surveillance video and forensic evidence.

“This is not a simple case,” Semmes told KPLC-TV. “It’s very complex. It’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of people to interview, and a lot of data to recover forensically. Those were the things that led us to charge her with second-degree murder rather than negligent homicide.”

Court records did not list an attorney who could speak on Cormier’s behalf.