Lawrence, Kansas, police are currently investigating after a 2-year-old boy was found dead in a hot car Sunday night.
According to KMBC, the Kansas City Star, and KCTV, someone called to report a toddler left unattended in a parked car outside a home on Iowa Street a little after 5:30 p.m.
Authorities found the little boy, Dévonté Lashawn Turner, deceased inside the car when they arrived on the scene, Lawrence Police Chief Gregory Burns said at a press conference on Monday.
Sunday’s temperature in Lawrence reached a high of 88 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
At the news conference, Chief Burns identified the toddler and said heat was a possible factor in his death, though authorities are still awaiting the results of his autopsy.
Burns also noted that no arrests have been made yet and that the child’s death was not currently labeled suspicious.
It’s unclear exactly who left Dévonté in the car unattended, but at the conference, Chief Burns stated that the toddler had been in the care of a relative that day — not with his parents.
On a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the child’s funeral, Dévonté’s mother, Kristina Turner, wrote, “Our son was left in the care of family and he was left in the car and he was found dead yesterday evening. We have no money to put towards his funeral expenses. We lost our 2 yr old son due to someone else’s negligence.”
The toddler’s mother, Kristina Turner, told KMBC she “had a weird feeling” before Dévonté was found dead. “There is not going to be a moment that won’t go by that I won’t remember my son or that I won’t look over and think that he should be here,” she said.
“They depend on you, and if nobody is making sure that they are OK, most of them can’t fight for themselves… They can’t get out of a car. They can’t unstrap themselves from a car seat,” she continued. “My biggest thing is I don’t want to see this happen to anybody else’s kids.”
No comments:
Post a Comment