Spotsylvania Infant Dies After Being Left In Vehicle; Stafford Mother Charged

SPOTSYLVANIA, VA — A 2-month-old infant died Wednesday after being left inside a vehicle in Spotsylvania County, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded about just before 5:15 p.m to the 3700 block of Lafayette Boulevard for a report of an unresponsive child, the sheriff’s office said.

When deputies arrived, they found the infant inside a business with the child’s mother. Spotsylvania Fire Rescue personnel took the child to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, where the infant was later pronounced dead, according to authorities.

The preliminary investigation found the child had been left in a car seat inside a vehicle for an extended period while the mother was at work, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities said the vehicle was not running and the heat index was high at the time.

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The temperature in Spotsylvania at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday was 92 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The heat index peaked at about 97 degrees earlier in the afternoon, with temperatures dropping in the evening.

Following consultation with Commonwealth's Attorney Ryan Mahaffey, authorities arrested the child’s mother, a 42-year-old Stafford County woman. She was charged with child endangerment and child abuse, according to the sheriff’s office. She was being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail.