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1-Year-Old Found Dead in Hot Car Outside Hospital Where Mother Works
Authorities say the hospital employee left her 1-year-old in the car while working, and police booked her on murder and child cruelty charges.
On Wednesday, Lawrenceville Police charged 29-year-old Deja Coleman with second-degree murder and child cruelty after her 1-year-old son was found dead inside a vehicle at Northside Gwinnett Hospital.
Coleman told investigators she drove her three children to Starlight Academy Daycare that morning but inadvertently left her 1-year-old in the car seat when she began her shift at 6:55 a.m.
Around 3:50 p.m., a coworker discovered the toddler "slumped in the car seat" and called 911; officers later recorded the vehicle's interior temperature at 117 degrees even after breaking the window.
Police booked Coleman into the Gwinnett County Detention Center, with Lawrenceville Police Captain Dena Pauly noting detectives believe she was overwhelmed rather than distracted and "she was devastated" when informed of the death.
Authorities await an official cause of death from the medical examiner's office, while Pauly urged parents struggling with overwhelm to slow down and seek assistance to prevent similar tragedies.