Police say that the nine-month-old child died on Thursday, after being kept in a mobile home bedroom, which reached temperatures as high as 109 degrees F. Another child in the home was fortunate enough to survive the incident, but has been hospitalized and treated for dehydration. The infant reportedly suffered in the sweltering bedroom, which caused his own body temperature to rise to approximately 105 degrees.
Police have revealed that they had been at the home just days prior, and had warned the father that the bedroom was far too hot for the children. They say that he was warned against keeping them in the room, to prevent the situation which did ultimately happen.
This time of year, stories of children left in hot cars dominate the media -- which is mind-blowing in and of itself. After all, we are all mostly aware of the dangers associated with leaving defenseless children in hot vehicles, where they can't escape the stifling heat. However, few media reports warn of the dangers associated with the heat and our own homes. Letting a bedroom in a home get as hot as 109 degrees is downright bizarre, and it's incredibly reckless to keep children in such a room, even against the warnings of police officers. It seems unlikely that the rest of the home was this hot, so it really doesn't make any sense to ignore police and leave the children to suffer in the heat.
What do you think of this heartbreaking story out of Florida?