A Georgia woman is behind bars after police say she left her infant inside a vehicle Wednesday at a Lawrenceville hospital.
On Friday, a Gwinnett County Magistrate Court judge denied bond for Deja Coleman, 29, who is facing felony charges in connection with the death of her 1-year-old son.
AJC identified the child as Daniel Coleman.
Coleman now faces one count of one count of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree cruelty to children.
Investigators said Coleman, a nurse at Northside Hospital Gwinnett, arrived for work at 6:55 a.m., leaving her son inside the vehicle, in the back seat. Nearly nine hours later, another hospital employee spotted the child unresponsive and called 911.
Despite life-saving measures by first responders, Daniel was pronounced dead at the scene.
Coleman told investigators she dropped off her two older children, ages 6 and 4, at the Starlight Academy Daycare, then drove to work without realizing Daniel remained in the vehicle.
FOX 5 Atlanta reports that Coleman said she always took the older children inside first, since one of them is autistic, before going back to the car for the 1-year-old.
Police spokesperson Capt. Dena Pauly stated that Coleman “forgot to make that second trip.”
Police Captain Dena Pauly said during a press conference that the interior of the vehicle had reached 117 degrees on July 29, while outside temperatures reached a high of around 95 degrees.
Coleman’s defense lawyer, Tom Ford, told AJC that he wants the charges dropped to manslaughter, adding that the death had been accidental.
“Sending this woman to prison for 10 to 30 years will not bring her baby back. It will only serve to tear her away from her surviving four-year-old and her autistic six-year-old, who need their mother’s presence to survive this trauma.”
Coleman’s next court appearance is scheduled for August 11. The older children are in the care of their father.
The National Safety Council, reports that 17 children have died in hot cars in the U.S., in 2026 alone.
Check back for updates.
[Featured image via Lawrenceville PD]
