A 27-year-old woman left her 3-year-old child unattended for several hours in a hot car while she donated blood at a plasma center on Sunday afternoon, according to DeLand police.
The incident occurred when Williams found her daughter unresponsive and called emergency services at about 4:32 p.m. A police report states that Williams left the child in the vehicle for approximately two hours on a day with an outside temperature of 84 degrees. Police determined that Williams claimed she had the air conditioning running and was monitoring her daughter via FaceTime on a tablet, but they believe the car’s ignition was off.
One bystander, Rosemary Roile, provided CPR to the child after emergency responders arrived. Roile said she became emotional when the girl regained consciousness: “I started to cry because I didn’t think I was going to be able to get her back.” Another bystander named Marc Tait recorded Williams after she found her daughter and stated he thought he was watching a child die.
The girl was transported to a hospital in critical condition with symptoms consistent with heat exhaustion. Williams was arrested on Sunday and charged with child neglect, a first-degree felony. She denied any wrongdoing.
DeLand Police Captain Prurince Dice urged the public: “Please take this as a reminder to always check your back seats” and added, “Give yourself enough time when you’re traveling so you’re not in a rush when you arrive at your destination.”
The police stated that the child is expected to recover but did not provide specific details about her condition.
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