A 2-year-old girl identified as Brittany Nicole died Sunday after being left unattended in a vehicle for more than three hours in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Temperatures reached the low 90s with a heat index over 100 degrees. Police have not made any arrests as the state attorney's office reviews the case.
The incident occurred Sunday afternoon when the girl's father, who has dementia, drove her to a home in the 900 block of NW 7th Avenue but did not remove her from the car. The child was left inside from about 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., according to family friend Brittany Arrellano.
Arrellano said the mother, Cristina Lopez, had left Brittany in the care of a babysitter while at work. The babysitter then placed the girl with her father. Lopez was contacted by police at her workplace and informed of the death.
"I just want justice," Lopez told local affiliate WPLG in Spanish. Arrellano started a GoFundMe and wrote that "justice has to be served for this baby."
Hallandale Beach Police Chief Michel Michel offered condolences and urged caregivers to check the back seat before leaving vehicles. The medical examiner's final report is pending.
