Inset: Brittany Nicole (GoFundMe). Background: The home in Hallandale Beach, Florida, where a 2-year-old girl was found in a hot car (WPLG).
A 2-year-old Florida girl died after she was left inside a car for more than three hours in the Sunshine State”s sweltering heat, cops say.
The incident happened Sunday afternoon in Hallandale Beach, where temperatures reached the low 90s and felt like more than 100 degrees.
Cops say the girl, identified as Brittany Nicole, was rushed to the hospital after she was found unconscious in the car. Doctors pronounced her dead. No one has been arrested in her death and the state attorney’s office will determine if criminal charges are warranted.
A family friend, Brittany Arrellano, started a GoFundMe that provided additional details about what happened. She said the mother left her daughter in the care of a babysitter when she went to work.
But Arrellano said the babysitter placed Brittany in the care of her father, who has dementia. He picked the girl up and drove her to a home in the 900 block of NW 7th Avenue. But when he arrived, he never took Brittany out of the car, according to Arrellano.
The girl was left in the scorching hot car from about 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. when she was found unconscious and taken to the hospital, Arrellano said.
Cops contacted Brittany’s mother Cristina Lopez at her workplace.
“They asked if she was the mother of 2-year old-Brittany Nicole. She said yes and [asked] what was wrong. The police told her that unfortunately her baby had passed under the caretakers care,” Arrellano wrote.
Lopez spoke with local ABC affiliate WPLG.
“I just want justice,” she said in Spanish.
Arrellano reiterated that someone needs to be held accountable.
“Justice has to be served for this baby,” she wrote. “Cristina is a very hardworking and humble person, and due to someone else’s carelessness, she lost her only baby girl.”
Police say they are still awaiting the final report from a medical examiner. Hallandale Police Chief Michel Michel extended his condolences to the family and said it’s important to remember tragedies like this can be avoided.
“This tragedy has touched our entire community,” he said. “While nothing can undo the pain this family is experiencing, our hearts remain with the child’s family. We hope this child’s story inspires every caregiver to adopt one simple habit: always check the back seat before leaving your vehicle. Taking one extra moment could prevent another family from experiencing this unimaginable loss.”
