A Virginia father killed himself after he found his 18-month-old son dead in the backseat of an overheated car on Tuesday.
After receiving reports that he threatened to hurt himself, the unidentified father was shot to death in Chesterfield. The body of the child was found inside the house by officers.
‘This is a horrible tragedy on so many levels,’ Chesterfield Police Lt. Col. Christopher Hensley said.
Police believe the father worked for three hours on Tuesday morning, but forgot to take his son to daycare due to the heatwave. According to The Weather Channel on Tuesday, Chesterfield saw temperatures of 80 degrees.
The preliminary investigation shows that the father was killed by a gunshot to the head after discovering his son dead in the car. The Chesterfield Police have not released the name of father and son, officers told DailyMail.com.
Virginia dad took his life Monday morning after accidentally letting his son die in the heatwave.
Police say that the father went to his house after finding his son and then returned home. He left his son’s body behind him, but he also entered the woods behind it.
After receiving a phone call from his family, officers arrived at the house at 14100 Block of Aldengate to find out that the boy hadn’t been coming for daycare. The father had also called them saying the son was not present.
Police received tips about where to find him and he was located in the woods just after noon.
Police were contacted by the family of Tuesday’s child after they discovered that the boy was not attending daycare. The family had received suicide threats from the father and officers responded by going to the address at 14100 Aldengate Road.
Hensley stated that they found the children in their driveway, with an open door and a child’s seat empty, upon arrival. “As they entered the house, they discovered a dead 18-month old.
Shortly after the incident, the father was located in the same place his family had told him to be.
Hensley said, “Our hearts are with the families and friends who will have to deal this. But we wouldn’t be remiss in taking this opportunity for people and realizing how crucial it is to check your cars.”
Chesterfield Police Lt. Colonel Christopher Hensley called a press conference to discuss preliminary findings
This 18-month old boy was one of seven Americans who died in 2022 from overheating cars.
Seven hot car deaths so far in 2022
Seven children, including the 18-month-old, have died in the United States after being left in a hot car, according to No Heat Stroke, this year.
He’s also the second to die this week: Kendrick Engram Jr, three, died on Sunday after his grandmother forgot about him in the back seat of a car after running errands in Georgia.
Kendrick Jr., age three, was driven to a car hot after his grandmother left him.
His uncle found Engram after Engram took his car to a quick-food restaurant. Engram was riding in third row of the Nissan SUV.
He died of asphyxiation after temperatures reached a high of 96F and a low of 90F on, the National Weather Service reported in it’s forecast.
Trace Means (5 years old), died after being trapped in the 100F heat of Houston, Texas, for two-three hours.
Trace Means (5 years old) was found dead in his mother’s car. Pictured above is Trace Means with his parents Amanda & Steve as well as his older sister (8).
Investigators believe his mom, Amanda Means, forgot to unbuckle him after running inside their $1.4 million home to throw a birthday party for his eight-year-old sister.
Amanda was not charged in the death of her sons, however, an investigation continues.
The 2022 heatstroke death toll began on May 3, when an 8-month old girl from Snellville, Georgia died. More deaths of boys and girls from 3-months-to-5-years old have been occurring ever since.