Toddler dies when dad leaves her in hot car overnight, Louisiana deputies say
A dad is accused of leaving his young daughter in a hot car for over nine hours, leading to her death, according to Louisiana authorities.
Joseph Boatman is now charged with second-degree murder, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a news release June 9.
Deputies said Boatman had been drinking before he picked up his 21-month-old daughter from a family member’s home at about 2:30 a.m. June 8.
“After strapping the toddler in her car seat, Boatman went back inside the residence and never returned to the vehicle,” deputies said.
Shortly before noon, about nine hours later, another family member found the girl in the car and called 911, according to investigators.
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith said the situation “involved compromised judgment.”
“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Smith said. “When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes.”
Boatman was booked in jail June 8, records show.
St. Tammany Parish is about a 50-mile drive north from New Orleans.
Hot car deaths
More than 1,000 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“About 40 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car,” officials said. “That’s about one child every 10 days killed in a hot car.”
Hot car deaths are most common in the summer, but they can happen at any time, according to the administration. The first “vehicular heatstroke” of the year typically happens in March.
“Leaving a window open is not enough – temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive and if not, immediately call 911.
This story was originally published June 9, 2025 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Toddler dies when dad leaves her in hot car overnight, Louisiana deputies say."