Child dies after being locked inside car at shopping plaza, Miami-Dade police say

Mother interviewed by detectives

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A child died Wednesday after being locked inside a car at a shopping plaza, Miami-Dade police said.

Authorities said the child was found inside a Nissan Altima parked at a shopping center near Southwest 97th Avenue and Bird Road.

Police said the child died after being taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center.

Witnesses told Local 10 News reporter Michael Seiden that the child's mother works nearby at the Forever Young Spa and forgot that her child was in the car.

They said the child was a boy, who was about 1 years old. 

Surveillance video shows the mother pulling up to the salon about 8:30 a.m. and running back into the parking lot about four hours later at 12:30 p.m. after she realized that her son was still in the backseat of her car, a nearby store owner said. 

Witnesses said the boy was unresponsive when the mother discovered him.

"I heard they were screaming in the back, and then I just, I rushed back to see what was going on and the baby was on the floor," Juan Carmenat said. 

The mother performed CPR on her child until authorities arrived. A pharmacist also helped, witnesses said. 

People who know the woman told Seiden that the mother was not originally supposed to work Wednesday, but came in to work on her day off.  

"It's unfortunate employees cannot afford childcare," one customer, Cathy O'Sullivan said. "I've seen children in the salon before. She could've brought him inside."

The mother was interviewed for hours by detectives before her vehicle was towed from the scene. 

It's unclear whether she will face charges. 


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.