Child left alone in brutal heat for 8 hours was ‘screaming’ for mom, IN cops say

A mother left her young child outside for eight hours as the heat index reached triple digits, according to Indiana police and news reports.

Officers with the Evansville Police Department were dispatched to an apartment Sunday, June 22, after receiving a report of a child “screaming for their mother,” according to WFIE.

The witness said the child was first seen playing outside at 7 a.m. and at 3:30 p.m. the child was still in the heat, the news outlet reported.

According to National Weather Service data, Evansville’s temperature peaked shortly before 2 p.m. with a heat index of 101 degrees. The heat index hovered around 100 degrees for several hours.

The child’s 30-year-old mother told officers she left her child in the yard as she was doing laundry, WEVV reported, citing police. When asked how long she was doing laundry, the mother kept “changing the subject and wouldn’t answer the question.”

McClatchy News is not naming the mother to protect the identity of the child.

Witnesses told officers the mother never checked on the child, who was left without access to food or water, police said, according to WIKY.

Jail records show the mother was charged with neglect of a dependent. She remains in jail as of June 23 with no bond.

According to police, the child was placed into custody of their father, WEVV reported.

Evansville is about a 175-mile drive southwest from Indianapolis.

This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Child left alone in brutal heat for 8 hours was ‘screaming’ for mom, IN cops say."