Florida residents Kathreen Adams and Christopher McLean are now being prosecuted on many counts after a terrible event that claimed the life of their 2-year-old daughter.
Authorities claim that the little child, who had dozed off in her car seat, had to endure the terrible repercussions of her parents leaving her on purpose in the blazing heat.
Law enforcement was forced to intervene due to the seriousness of the situation, which resulted in the detention of Adams, 23, and McLean, 32, on accusations of child neglect, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Holmes County Sheriff John Tate said it was probable that the pair would face further charges.
The upsetting series of events started when a terrified lady called 911. The woman’s cries filled the radio, but the 911 operator couldn’t make sense of them since the caller was so distraught.
A deputy was sent to the home in the Florida Panhandle hamlet of Prosperity in response. The deputy came to their horror to see a person carrying an unconscious 2-year-old toddler.
The deputy quickly responded and started doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the child until emergency medical personnel arrived. The tiny child has unfortunately pronounced dead soon after, despite the best attempts to save her.
Adams told the authorities she had found her daughter unconscious in their house. The child’s frightening body temperature of 107 degrees, however, led the sheriff to express doubt, saying that “something wasn’t adding up.”
As the inquiry went on, law enforcement officials discovered a terrible fact: the kid had been left in the car for around 14 grueling hours. Adams ultimately admitted that she had gone to a relative’s home after her job ended at midnight to pick up her 2-year-old and the child’s 4-year-old brother.
The infant soundly dozed in her vehicle seat when they set off on their return trip with McLean. Surprisingly, the parents made the terrible choice to leave their helpless youngster alone in the car as they went inside and eventually fell asleep.
They didn’t wake up until approximately 3:41 p.m. the next day and were horrified that their cherished kid had been abandoned.
In her statement, the sheriff then stated that Adams had acknowledged purposefully leaving their little kid in the vehicle all night. On the other hand, McLean chose not to provide an account or interact with police authorities at that time, showing a lack of cooperation and asserting his rights.
As a result, there are differences in the sequence of events, including when the couple first saw the child and when they dialed 911 for help. Adams said the 4-year-old sibling had gotten out of the automobile and entered the home. However, whether the younger kid had spent any time inside the vehicle is still unknown. The sheriff said that they were actively looking at this issue.
The couple’s home was searched by the police, who found a depressing variety of illegal narcotics. Methamphetamine, marijuana, CBD candies, and drug paraphernalia were all included in the inventory. Adams said that she and McLean had used marijuana after entering the home.
Sheriff Tate firmly replied, “Don’t do drugs,” when asked if he had a message to deliver to the neighborhood. He firmly believed that the terrible death of the kid was caused by the use of methamphetamine and other drugs, and he said that drug use often distorts one’s perspective of reality, having disastrous effects.
“That’s what happens when you use drugs—you lose the sense of what’s going on in reality, and this kind of stuff happens,” he said in his powerful remarks. We probably wouldn’t be here today if they weren’t doing drugs.
The 4-year-old sibling has been given into the Department of Children and Families custody in light of these tragic circumstances, where they will get the care and assistance required at this very trying time.
In addition to working to bring justice to the untimely death of the innocent 2-year-old daughter, the authorities are dedicated to preserving the well-being and protection of the still-alive kid.
