3-Year-Old Boy Dies After He Was Left Inside Hot Car For Almost 3 Hours In Georgia

A 3-year-old Georgia boy has died after he was left in a hot car in Columbus, the coroner said.

Officials believe the boy, Kendrick Engram Jr., had been in the car for about 2 hours and 45 minutes by the time he was pronounced dead Sunday evening.

The temperature reached the 90s on Sunday.

Kendrick had spent Sunday with his grandmother and three sisters, Bryan said, and they arrived home at about 5:30 p.m.

“Everyone went in the house except the little boy,” Bryan said. “The grandmother went into the bedroom, the other children went into the kitchen area to eat. Then the children were in and out, playing … just like kids do.”

“At about 8:15 p.m., the grandmother called out to the children and asked about a headcount, and nobody knew where Kendrick was,” Bryan said.

Also at about 8:15 p.m., the grandmother’s son — the children’s uncle — borrowed the grandmother’s car to drive to Wendy’s, Bryan said.

The uncle was inside the Wendy’s when, at about 8:30 p.m., the grandmother called and asked if he had Kendrick, Bryan said. The uncle said no, and she asked him to check the car, Bryan said.

The uncle went out to the car where he found Kendrick unresponsive, and he called 911, Bryan said.

The coroner said his office plans to rule Kendrick’s death heat-related.

This marks the seventh child to die in a hot car in the U.S. this year, according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org. Click here for tips on how to keep children safe from hot cars this summer.