Baby dies after left in car for 3 hours while parents went to church - Police

An 11-month-old baby girl has died after being left in a car for three hours while her parents attended a Florida church service, police said.

Police in Palm Bay responded Sunday around 1 p.m. to a report of an unresponsive infant in a vehicle.

“When they arrived, they learned the infant had been left in a car for approximately three hours while the parents went to the church service,” the Palm Bay Police Department said in a statement.

The infant was transported to a local hospital where she was later pronounced deceased, police said Tuesday. A police department spokesperson did not have the time of death available.

No arrests have been made in the case at this time and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

“This is an unfortunate incident, and our condolences and prayers go out to the family,” Palm Bay Police Chief Mario Augello said in a statement.

Palm Bay is located about 75 miles southeast of Orlando. The temperature in the city around midday Sunday was in the high 70s.

The temperature inside a car can exceed 115 degrees when the outside temperature is just 70 degrees, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In 2022, 33 children died of heatstroke in vehicles, according to the NHTSA.