North Carolina parents charged after baby dies in hot car

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Fictional and not particularly credible or convincing. That one would continuously think about one's freaking phone that one forgot at home and not once for the entire day about one's child is just not conceivable. At all.

My sister did it to her dog last year and was crying for days... I've left various objects in my car over the years and destroyed them forgetting that I had put them there and had that sudden realization hours later.

Maybe some people experience this more than others?? I tend to be singly focused and do not multi-task well.. I do not remember my drive to work today. I am working a costume for my wife for an upcoming con and was lost in thought about how to do the arm attachments.. click I was at work.. The article felt very real to me.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Nonsense. One has got to have their priorities completely upside down for anything to be more present in their mind than their helpless little infant or toddler that wholly depends on them. As a parent I cannot fathom that there is any situation in which I would ever forget my child. And I do have my fair share of stressful situations when I am out and about with my child.

Congratulations. I'm sure some of the parents this has happened to said the exact same things themselves before it happened to them. I'm not necessarily talking about the parents in this story, however.

Fictional and not particularly credible or convincing. That one would continuously think about one's freaking phone that one forgot at home and not once for the entire day about one's child is just not conceivable. At all.

I wasn't posting it to be convincing. If you don't think it's possible, then you don't think it's possible. Again, that doesn't make it so.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Congratulations. I'm sure some of the parents this has happened to said the exact same things themselves before it happened to them. I'm not necessarily talking about the parents in this story, however.

I wasn't posting it to be convincing. If you don't think it's possible, then you don't think it's possible. Again, that doesn't make it so.

Off Topic, but welcome back. Your presence was sorely missed.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Off Topic, but welcome back. Your presence was sorely missed.

Not sure I'm back for any length of time, but thanks!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

My sister did it to her dog last year and was crying for days... I've left various objects in my car over the years and destroyed them forgetting that I had put them there and had that sudden realization hours later.

Maybe some people experience this more than others?? I tend to be singly focused and do not multi-task well.. I do not remember my drive to work today. I am working a costume for my wife for an upcoming con and was lost in thought about how to do the arm attachments.. click I was at work.. The article felt very real to me.

A child is not a dog, much less an object. I can't believe these comparisons are even offered.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

A child is not a dog, much less an object. I can't believe these comparisons are even offered.

The importance of the object is not relevant and certainly not something to get upset or offended about. Many have experienced this in their life and you are saying it is not possible for this to happen if a child is involved. I would say you are 99.99% correct.

Did you read the long article that interviewed 12 people that left their kids in the car? People trying to commit suicide when they realized what they had done? A full 40% are investigated and not charged. I am a little lost as to your hostility on the possibility of it being an accident.

[Fan_Dancer 171]

No, a dog is more active and more likely to catch your eye. Even if it is asleep, its superior sense of hearing makes it get up once you open the car door.

[Fan_Dancer 171]

How about this couple of doctors?

If she just would have made a peep..." a teary-eyed Dr. Beth Kozel told police after her 7-month-old baby girl was found dead in an overheated car.

A 42-page police investigative report, obtained Friday by the Post-Dispatch, tells how Kozel, 33, left the car, waved to her daughter, blew her kisses like she always does - and rushed to work.

The baby girl, Sophia Knutsen, was in her rear-facing car seat in the back of the family's Toyota that fateful day, Aug. 23. Kozel's husband, Russell Knutsen, 33, was driving.

Sophia was awake and smiling but - described as always a quiet baby - didn't make a noise when Kozel got out. If she had, her mother reasoned later to police, her husband would have been alerted to the child in the back seat.

Kozel, a pediatrician at St. Louis Children's Hospital, apparently thought her husband knew to take the baby to the day-care center on the medical school's campus, the report said. The father told police he didn't see the baby in the back seat.

Sophia died of hyperthermia within an hour, according to Dr. Raj Nanduri, who conducted the autopsy for the city medical examiner's office. The temperature outside topped out at 95 degrees that day. Experts said the car's interior could have reached 140.

Sophia was left in the parked car about 8:30 a.m., and a passer-by broke a window to get to the child shortly before 12:30 p.m.

The St. Louis circuit attorney's office is weighing what, if any, charges to file against the Richmond Heights couple. The St. Louis Police Department's investigative report is in the hands of prosecutors now. Neither parent had a criminal record. And investigators didn't uncover any evidence that Sophia or her 5-year-old brother had been left behind before.

This case has split investigators. Some want the parents arrested and charged with child endangerment; some don't.

The investigative report written Sept. 6 includes police interviews with more than 20 co-workers, witnesses and day-care workers. It elaborates greatly on the basic, preliminary account police gave the day Sophia died. It also discloses new details - including that Knutsen didn't go back to work after parking the car, but first played tennis for 45 minutes.

The report reveals a busy morning for the family. Surveillance footage confirms the parents' account of who was driving the car last. The police report and a separate report by a state Children's Division investigator offer a glimpse into how the parents cared for their children and treated each other after Sophia's death.

Inside a patient room at Children's Hospital, as a detective stood near, Kozel hugged her husband when he walked into the room. They cried and she told him, "I know, I know, I know."

Kozel seemed to take the blame, according to the police report. "Beth K. said she thought she told Russell K. to drop the baby off at day care but she could not recall for certain, " the report said.

The next day, Kozel told detectives she didn't think her husband had seen her waving at Sophia in the back seat. "Beth K's eyes began watering more than they had, " the report said, "and she said twice, 'If she just would have made a peep.' "

Distracted

For months, to ward against forgetfulness, the parents had been putting the bottles of breast milk that Sophia would need at day care inside a lunch box and setting that lunch box on Sophia's lap for the drive to day care. That way, when they reached in the back seat to get the baby, the lunch box was hard to overlook.

Kozel told detectives about the time she was so distracted that she wore two different shoes the day she returned to work from maternity leave.

On the day Sophia died, the family's routine of many months changed. It was the first day of kindergarten at Little Flower School in Richmond Heights for Sophia's brother. The family was on the first day of its new driving plan. Kozel would drive the children to school and day care because Knutsen was already at work. Knutsen's hours were flexible. He switched to early work hours so that he could leave early to pick up their son from kindergarten, the police report said.

This also was the first day for Kozel to park the car in a new lot near her work. She had a printout of the lot on the seat next to her. The couple discussed their new driving plan the night before.

When she took her son to kindergarten that morning in Richmond Heights, she carried Sophia in a portable car seat into the school while everyone said their goodbyes, the report said. Then, she put the baby back in the car and headed for work.

Running late, she called her husband and they agreed that she would swing by his work, on the Washington University Medical School campus, so that he could drop her in front of Children's Hospital and park the car, the report said. As Knutsen took over the driver's seat, he put his tennis racket between his legs. He had told a co-worker he'd meet him at the tennis courts south of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 20 minutes to finish a set. Knutsen won the set in 45 minutes, then returned to work as a senior research technician.

A passer-by walked near the car about 12:15 p.m., the report said. She noticed what she thought was a realistic-looking doll in the backseat. She came in for a closer look and saw the baby. A nurse ran outside and tried smashing a window with a three-hole punch. That didn't work, so she used a large rock to break the window and get the baby out. They tried CPR but couldn't revive Sophia. The baby's rectal temperature was 109.

No call from day-care center

The day-care center, which Sophia had attended since the age of 2 months, does not call parents if a child fails to show up. Some doctors who use the center have such sporadic hours that their children don't typically have set days to attend.

But some day-care workers had talked among themselves that morning about Sophia's absence, the police report said. They joked about calling Knutsen to say that he "kept our girl out today." The workers told police they regretted not calling.

Kozel told detectives her baby girl was content, beautiful and quiet. She was such a good baby, she told police, that unless Sophia was hungry, "you didn't hear her." She would scoot around at day care, smile and interact with other babies.

Three days before her death, Knutsen mentioned to the day-care staff the latest milestone: He'd seen Sophia standing in her crib.

When Kozel talked to police, she said she and her husband had heard on television about "things like this happening to other children." They think that the parents in those instances "are horrible, " the report said. "However, she said that she and her husband are good parents. She said they take their children to the park and do other activities with them."

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The importance of the object is not relevant and certainly not something to get upset or offended about. Many have experienced this in their life and you are saying it is not possible for this to happen if a child is involved. I would say you are 99.99% correct.

Did you read the long article that interviewed 12 people that left their kids in the car? People trying to commit suicide when they realized what they had done? A full 40% are investigated and not charged. I am a little lost as to your hostility on the possibility of it being an accident.

An object is just that - an object. I've forgotten my fair share of objects over the years in various places. No big deal. I'm doing many things so routinely that I don't exactly remember whether I did them on a given day or not. Closing the garage door being one of those. I often find myself wondering on my way to the office whether I did indeed close the garage door when I left. But none of that rationalizes in any way how a parent can forget a child. There are apparently many people that feel differently and I'm puzzled about that. But it is what it is. After all, many - if not most - people also seem to believe that a child shooting another child or person dead is somehow a tragic accident. It isn't. It's gross negligence on the part of an adult leading to death. Most of those don't face charges either so I wouldn't count that as a particularly relevant indicator.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Mr. Big Dog

[*Snowdrop* 604]

I think the point about these situations and why they are so shocking to us is that it is so unthinkable that we could ever forget our kids in the car.

It seems to hit those who are dropping kids off on the way to their job more than others from the stories you read online. Or when there is a routine where the child is not always with that parent at that time. They have gone into autopilot on the morning commute and get straight out of their car without looking in the backseat.

I honestly can't imagine it happening to me but I do believe it has happened to other parents and the best way forward for everyone is to be aware of the possibility and at least consider some of the suggested ways to prevent this happening.

If you only take your kid out in the car for kid related activities or regular outings where you always expect to have your child with you it probably won't happen to you. But anyone who has a morning commute where they sometimes drop a child off on the way, especially if they have a small child and in a rear-facing car seat, or are particularly sleep deprived etc, should consider taking some of the following precautions. (some of these tips are aimed at preventing heat stroke deaths where kids have climbed into cars without the parent knowing or when people leave kids 'for just a minute' in a car on purpose)

 Never leave children alone in or around cars; not even for a minute.

 Put something you'll need like your cell phone, handbag, employee ID or brief case, etc., on the floor

board in the back seat.

 Get in the habit of always opening the back door of your vehicle every time you reach your destination to

make sure no child has been left behind. This will soon become a habit. We call this the “Look Before You

Lock” campaign.

 Keep a large stuffed animal in the child's car seat when it’s not occupied. When the child is placed in the

seat, put the stuffed animal in the front passenger seat. It's a visual reminder that anytime the stuffed

animal is up front you know the child is in the back seat in a child safety seat.

 Make arrangements with your child’s day care center or babysitter that you will always call if your child

will not be there on a particular day as scheduled.

 Keep vehicles locked at all times; even in the garage or driveway and always set your parking brake.

 Keys and/or remote openers should never be left within reach of children.

 Make sure all child passengers have left the vehicle after it is parked.

 When a child is missing, check vehicles and car trunks immediately.

 If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. If they are hot or seem sick, get them out as quickly as

possible. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

 Be especially careful about keeping children safe in and around cars during busy times, schedule changes

and periods of crisis or holidays.

 Use drive‐thru services when available. (restaurants, banks, pharmacies, dry cleaners, etc.)

 Use your debit or credit card to pay for gas at the pump.