A 3-year-old reported missing from Pegram, Tennessee, was found deceased inside a van Tuesday afternoon.
According to Cheatham County police, the unidentified boy’s mother reported him missing at around 1 p.m., after waking up from a nap and discovering him missing from a residence off Navaho Trail.
One of the child’s sibling found him inside a broken van on the property at around 4 p.m. It’s currently unclear how long he had been in the vehicle.
WBRC News reports that an investigation is currently underway, but law enforcement believes the child climbed into the vehicle alone. No arrests have been made.
“It doesn’t run, but it just sits on the property, but somehow the child got into the van, was able to shut the door behind him. We don’t think the child was able to get the door open once they got inside,” Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Shannon Heflin said.
The temperatures in Pegram Tuesday reached a high of 95°F, with a heat in effect.
“As hot as it is outside today, there’s no telling what the heat index inside that vehicle was,” Heflin added.
The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and the DA’s office are currently involved in the investigation.
National nonprofit organization Kids and Car Safety reports that this is the second Tennessee pediatric hot car death this year, and the 18th in the nation.
“The most important thing here today is to educate the general public about how hot it is out here today. Make sure you don’t leave a child inside your vehicle. This can be the result. Very tragic,” Heflin said.
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
[Featured image: Pixabay]
