SOUTH SALT LAKE, June 6, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) -- A mother is facing charges of reckless endangerment and child abuse after allegedly leaving her infant child inside a hot car for nearly two hours Wednesday afternoon.
According to a news release from the South Salt Lake Police Department, officers were called to the area of 2978 S. State St. after receiving reports of "an infant left in a vehicle unattended.
"The vehicle was not running, which meant the air conditioning was also not on," the SSLPD statement said. "The car was also parked in a way that it had direct afternoon sunlight, with no shade from any buildings or trees.
"When officers arrived at the scene, they found the mother holding the infant. A few minutes later, South Salt Lake Fire Department personnel arrived for a medical evaluation. The baby was found to have a fever of 101 and was taken to Primary Children's Hospital for treatment," the police statement said.
"Upon further investigation, officers discovered the child had been left in the car from 3:43 p.m. until about 5:30 p.m., a total of 108 minutes. The vehicle’s windows were left open about one inch, however the temperature of the inside of the vehicle was 100 degrees. This is higher than the outside temperature, which was about 78 degrees."
SSLPD investigators said surveillance video shows the mother check on the child twice during the 108 minutes the infant was left in the car, but did so only by looking through the window.
"She did not open the door or check the temperature of the inside of the car."
The mother, who was not named in the news release, was booked into Salt Lake County Jail.
"At the start of summer, we cannot stress enough the danger of leaving children or pets in vehicles, even on seemingly cooler days. Vehicles can be significantly hotter than the outside ambient temperature. We are glad this case did not end in the tragic loss of life."
