9-year-old boy with a disability dies after being left in hot car, Utah officials say

A 9-year-old boy with a disability was found dead after Utah police said he was left inside a hot car for hours.

American Fork police said the boy, who was left at a business that looks after “people with intellectual disabilities,” was found dead in a car Wednesday, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

A member of Roost Services, the organization that provides for people with developmental disabilities, reportedly put the boy in the car Wednesday morning, left the doors and windows closed and turned the engine off, said American Fork Police Sgt. Josh Christensen, according to the publication.

Roost Services didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.

Police said they arrived around 1:45 p.m., found the boy inside the car and emergency personnel performed CPR but the child had died, 2News reported. Officials said they believe the child was in the car for around two hours before he was found.

The boy has not been publicly identified.

“Temperatures at that time here outside temperatures were in the high 90s, 97, 98,” Christensen said, according to Fox 13. “So you can imagine the temperatures in the vehicle are going to be well, well above 100.”

Authorities said the case is being investigated to see if charges will be filed, the station reported.

Researchers found that temperatures inside a car parked in the sun on a day that was 95 degrees reached an average of 116 degrees Fahrenheit within one hour, LiveScience reported.

On average, there are 39 deaths per year in a hot car, according to KidsAndCars.org. The organization reports 10 deaths so far this year.

This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 7:48 AM with the headline "9-year-old boy with a disability dies after being left in hot car, Utah officials say."