One year old mistakenly left in car during daycare drop off 

Readers should be aware that the piece below contains information about the passing of a child, which may prove distressing, and should consider their own circumstances before continuing to engage. 

A 15 month old child died on Tuesday after being left in a hot vehicle in Sydney for most of the day. The father of the child made the discovery after walking into his daughter’s long day care service to collect her, and being told that the child was not in attendance.

The man made the shocking discovery at approximately 5:30 pm, outside the Earlwood centre. While neighbours and paramedics attempted to revive the child, they were unable to and the girl was declared dead at the scene.

Police have subsequently spoken to the child’s father, who has not been arrested or charged with a crime, and who was taken to hospital to be treated for shock. It is expected that he will be interviewed once his condition has improved. 

Speaking with local media NSW Police Superintendent Christine McDonald said the girl’s official cause of death was not yet known, however information provided to police “suggests that this baby was left inside the vehicle for an extended period of time on a very hot day here in Sydney”.

“Leaving a child in a vehicle at any time can be dangerous. Leaving a child inside a vehicle for an extended period of time can be deadly,” she said.

There is no indication that the service had any role in the passing of the child, with police now working to establish how long the girl had been in the car and whether she was supposed to have been dropped at the service earlier on Tuesday, details that will form part of their investigation.

“We need to seek that information from people that we’re currently speaking to or waiting to speak to,” Superintendent McDonald said, describing the child’s death as “an absolute tragedy” adding that her “thoughts and prayers” were with staff at the service and the parents of other children who attend it.

“Most childcare centres are tight-knit. The teachers know the children and the babies so well they’re like their own family. They might not know right now who the baby girl is, but obviously, in time, they will start to identify who it is, and my thoughts and prayers are with them because that will be a very, very difficult time”.