Grandmother Charged With Child Neglect After Leaving 2-Year-Old In Hot Car

Elena Grady. Photo by Volusia County Division of Corrections

Tragedy was avoided on July 2, when a manager at a Publix in Ormond Beach, Florida, spotted an unattended toddler in a hot parked car and got her help. According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, Publix management noticed the child in the car around 3:00 p.m and said that the vehicle had been parked in full sun, was not running, and had the windows cracked. 

Since the child seemed to be lethargic, the manager notified authorities, reached through the car window to unlock the door, and brought the child into the store to cool off. Some time after, the child’s grandmother noticed the child in the store, took custody of her, and left before deputies arrived.

Deputies later located the grandmother, 63-year-old Elena Grady from Longwood, Florida. Grady was charged with child neglect, booked at the Volusia County Branch Jail, and released overnight on a $3,000 bond.

Officials determined that the 2-year-old had been left alone inside the hot car for around 16 minutes. At the time of the incident, the temperature outside was 91 degrees with a heat index of 101 degrees, and a “car parked in the sun on a 90-degree day can reach 120 degrees within 30 minutes, and 138 degrees after 90 minutes”, says the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Despite this fact, deputies found the toddler in good health.
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The Volusia Sheriff’s Office reminds the general public “NOT to leave children, pets, or vulnerable adults in a hot vehicle even if it's only supposed to be a few minutes.”

Article by Ema Tibbetts