Marking the state’s second hot car fatality of the year, a 3-year-old Alabama boy passed away after first responders located him inside a vehicle in Clarke County.
According to Clarke County Sheriff DeWayne Smith, authorities found the boy on June 12, in the north Grove Hill community, after his parents reported him missing.
Authorities found within “15 to 20 minutes” of arriving at the home, in the back seat of the vehicle, FOX 10 reports. He was not in a car seat.
First responders took him to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources removed three minors from the home after the incident.
Accuweather reports that the temperatures soared to the 90s on June 12, but the inside of a vehicle “can trap heat like a greenhouse,” potentially causing death.
Kids and Cars Safety
According to the 501 (c)(3) national nonprofit organization, Kids and Car Safety, the incident marks the seventh pediatric vehicular heatstroke fatality in 2026 alone.
On average, around 38 children in the U.S. die each year in hot vehicles, with two occurring this year in Alabama.
Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in the case and it’s unclear how the child got into the vehicle.
The Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, Grove Hill Police Department and the First Judicial Circuit Major Crimes Unit are currently investigating.
Check back for updates.
[Featured image: Pixabay]
