Some of you may have heard about a case that happened right here in Cedar falls. It happened last summer in June, so June of 2009. A 2-month of baby was found locked in a car parked near the UNI soccer fields. The UNI police were notified about this around 8:20 on Monday. It had been a hot day, and the weather service said that it was 88 degrees at 8:00pm that night. The article that I found just gives a brief summary of what happened with about no details. I have provided the link below. I got a call from one of the officers during the summer, and he told me all about the case. When the UNI officers arrived on the scene, they did not see anyone else around. I didn't have any idea how long the baby had been in the car. It looked like the baby was having trouble breathing, so one of the officers shot out the window. Since it was so hot in the car, the glass from the window came back at the officer. The officer knew that when he shot the window the pressure from the inside of the car would cause the glass to come back at him. Knowing this he shielded his face with his hand. The officer received several stitches and hand many cuts covering his face and arms. They got the baby out of the car and she seemed to be fine. The baby was taken to the waterloo hospital where she was treated and released. The mother did show up not long after they had gotten the baby out. The mother said that she had dropped her daughter off at soccer practice and then a friend picked her up to go out to eat. The mother claimed that she had forgotten the baby was in the car when she left with her friend. The mother was charged and she ended up pleading guilty to the charges a couple of months ago.
This story just goes to show how dumb some people can be.
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/48873402.html
How old was this mother? I know this may seem judgmental but this could just be a case of irresponsibility. If not a case of irresponsibility, this could be seen as an attempt at murder. The report mentioned that no one was around in a relatively barren, private area. It also states that all of the windows were rolled up. Now who rolls their windows completely up in the summertime? Maybe its just me, but when it's that hot out I preferred to crack them open just enough that air flows but not enough that I get my car stolen. Also, a mother of a newborn generally has a strong protective attachment to that child. Things are not adding up in this case and I wish there was more information and follow-up.
I remember hearing about this case last year but did not know the outcome. I find it really hard to believe that the mother forgot she left the baby in the car. I agree with Sara in the sense that it could be an attempt at murder and the age of the mother could play a role. Also-what type of mental state was the mother in the leave the baby in the car, go out to eat with a friend and completely forget about her? Since the mother plead guilty the investigation for the crime was most likely stopped which could be the reason for the lack of information and a followup.