Innocent mistake or murder?

[dae_tona]

Some of my family members were telling me about a woman in Texas (where they live) who forgot to drop off her 6 week old baby to daycare before she went to work & left the baby in the car in the extreme heat & the baby died.

I guess maybe I don't understand - is is really possible - after having a baby for 6 weeks - to forget that you have that baby in the car with you? Do you think that is truly possible? Have any of you ever forgotten that you had a baby after having it for 6 weeks?

I guess it just didn't make any sense to me.

[jedswife]

oh that sucks!

i guess it is possible - i've caught myself walking out the door (many many years ago when my dd was about 2) without her but before i hit the door - i did the WTH?!? are you doing and ran back to get her but i never actually made it out the door without her....but i did make it to the front door with the door open car keys in hand before i snapped.

i guess being in a hurry - especially with the kid in the back seat you could forget but you would think you would realize the mistake fairly quickly say minutes not hours though.

[Chrystee]

He is only 5 months, but no, not once.
I am always aware of his presence.. of course, now he is always talking/babbling..

[Stinkerbelle]

Horrible story-

It is so sad. How can someone be so preoccupied that they do something like this? I am sure they will come up with some excuse- there is an excuse for everything nowadays. Sorry- don't mean to sound insensitive but there are so many horrible things that go on in this world...

That poor, poor baby.

[Sun_Luvin]

Unfortunately, I could see how this might happen. The woman might have been out on maternity leave for 6 weeks, and upon returning to work, she just got back into the habit of driving her route and didn't remember to stop at daycare. Not excusable, but a possibility of how it might have happened.

My DH did this one time with our DD. She was about 3 months old. He got halfway to work before she made a sound in the back seat and he realized he completely zoned out and forgot to drop her off. It wasn't part of his normal "patterned" routine.

But, no way I'd be able to walk away from the vehicle and not realize my child was still there.

[Chrystee]

I could also see when the baby is that young. DS used to sleep so much and he was such a quiet baby. She could have a little PPD, or just be so busy and stressed about going back to work, or just really sleep deprived. I could see how it could happen.

[Sweetpea]

I can't imagine --- But I have heard of this happening before --
I guess if you are under a lot of stress, overworked, tired -- anything could happen. That is so tragic.

[jemmi]

Sadly, it does happen. There was a case out here where I live, about a day care person who had one or two children in her van, and she went in the building when they got there, and she forgot they were in there.

When she remembered, or someone else saw them when they parked nearby, it was too late. I live in the high desert, so a closed vehicle is deadly to human or animal. She was devastated!

It was a sad situation all the way around. The parent(s) who lost their child(ren), and the person who caused it. Each have suffered trauma, not just the parent(s).

From what I recall reading, she really loved the children she cared for, but she had to have been on overload or something to have forgotten like that. I didn't do a follow-up on that story, so I don't know if she was convicted of murder.

My heart goes out to this poor Mother (her husband, her family, and his family) who lost this baby! There are many possibilities of how or why she could have forgotten about the infant. Tragic!

[RedheadNJ]

Originally Posted by jemmi

Sadly, it does happen. There was a case out here where I live, about a day care person who had one or two children in her van, and she went in the building when they got there, and she forgot they were in there.

When she remembered, or someone else saw them when they parked nearby, it was too late. I live in the high desert, so a closed vehicle is deadly to human or animal. She was devastated!

It was a sad situation all the way around. The parent(s) who lost their child(ren), and the person who caused it. Each have suffered trauma, not just the parent(s).

From what I recall reading, she really loved the children she cared for, but she had to have been on overload or something to have forgotten like that. I didn't do a follow-up on that story, so I don't know if she was convicted of murder.

My heart goes out to this poor Mother (her husband, her family, and his family) who lost this baby! There are many possibilities of how or why she could have forgotten about the infant. Tragic!

I could not imagine how i could ever live with myself after this. That poor baby.

[kaisergirl]

No, I don't think I could forget him.

It happens EVERY SUMmer here in Oklahoma. Someone leaves a child in the car. EVERY SUMMER!!!!! I don't understand how you could not think that when it's 107 outside that a child sleeping inside will be ok. I really believe that these people are not right in the head. There HAS to be mental issues. Oh, it just makes me so mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those poor babies!!!

DId you read about the couple who blamed video games for their child neglect. A couple had 2 kids, a 2 yr old and an 11 mo I believe. They were turned in and police found the kids dirty, malnurished, genital and mouth infections, dehydrated and left to themselves while the parents played their video game online. WTH???

[annabird]

This just makes me so sad. I can see it happens and that terrifies me. Tragic. Poor baby and family - you will NEVER get over it.

[psigna]

Something similar happened in our area a few weeks ago. A woman put her 17 month on the school van for daycare.

When they got to the daycare, the daycare people left him on ther bus. They found him that afternoon when they got ready to take the kids home. His temperature at the hospital was 108, and he was pronounced dead.

They have charged one of the daycare workers with negligent culpable manslaughter, and the daycare Mississippi Christian Services lost their license. tHE PARENTS ARe also sueing.

[jemmi]

Originally Posted by kaisergirl

No, I don't think I could forget him.

It happens EVERY SUMmer here in Oklahoma. Someone leaves a child in the car. EVERY SUMMER!!!!! I don't understand how you could not think that when it's 107 outside that a child sleeping inside will be ok. I really believe that these people are not right in the head. There HAS to be mental issues.

Sadly, sometimes in addition to mental issues, it can be medical issues as well. People with diabetes or hypoglycemia can experience a sudden drop in their blood sugar, and they are not themselves. I'm sure there's way more, but those two medical conditions are what came to my mind right now.

[kaisergirl]

If someone did that to your baby... there would be no excuses.


I could never find it in my heart to forgive someone if they did that to my baby, medical reason or not.

[Silver Spice]

The mother may suffer from ADD or something like mentioned above. It is possible to forget the baby, especially if it's sleeping. My mom forgot me once when I was a few weeks old, but she had left me in my crib. I also know about a man that lives near us that forgot he had set his new baby behind his SUV while loading up the stroller, and he backed out over it and killed it.

It's very very sad and unfortunate, but it does happen and doesn't mean it was deliberate.

[emijan]

I, once, drove all the way to work.....talking on the hone with a friend that was going through divorce.....I was getting off the freeway and looked in my read view mirror only to see my 3 and 4 year old sitting quietly in ther carseats.....I forgot to get off at the right exit 12 mile ago to drop them off in daycare....I was so embaressed...I had to call work and tell them I'd be late.....