LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A toddler died after his parents left him in a hot car overnight after a July 4 party in Florida, authorities said Thursday.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said that Lakeland couple Joel and Jazmine Rondon have been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.
Authorities said the Rondons accidentally left the 18-month-old girl in her car seat while they took out their other two children and unloaded their vehicle after returning home from Independence Day celebrations.
Joel Rondon found his toddler unresponsive in the car the next morning. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the couple underwent a drug test. Joel Rondon has tested positive for methamphetamine, marijuana and alcohol. His wife tested positive for marijuana and alcohol.
An autopsy revealed the infant’s cause of death to be hyperthermia. The couple was arrested on Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether the two 33-year-old Rondons had hired a lawyer who could comment on the allegations.