Toddler Dies and Dad Charged with Murder After She's Left in Car Overnight with Heat Index Topping 100 Degrees

The father of a toddler found left inside a motor vehicle on one of the hottest days of the year in Louisiana is being charged in connection with her hot car death.

Joseph Boatman, 32, was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center on June 8, after his 21-month-old daughter died when she was left in his car overnight, according to a news release from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

It happened outside a home in Madisonville, a town with a population of less than 800 people located approximately 40 miles north of New Orleans.

The temperature in Madisonville peaked at 92 degrees during the time the child was left in the car and the heat index was as high as 104 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Boatman is charged with second-degree murder and could face additional charges according to the STPSO, who continue to investigate the incident.

An initial investigation into the matter determined that Boatman arrived at a family member’s home around 2:30 a.m. on June 8 to pick up his daughter.

Boatman had allegedly been drinking prior to picking up his daughter, according to detectives, who said that the father “consumed multiple alcoholic beverages” that night.

Boatman then put his daughter in her carseat and went back inside the residence, said the STPSO, though the release did not give a reason for this action.

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A family member then noticed that the child was in the car around noon and alerted authorities.

The toddler was unresponsive by the time deputies arrived, and she was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the STPSO.

“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said.

He continued: “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. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”

Boatman remains in custody, and his bail has been set at $750,000.