Five-year-old dies in overheated car after being left forgotten in car seat

Fire and rescue freed unconscious child, who was later pronounced dead

Fairfax County Police Department Lt John Lieb (WJLA/CNN/FairfaxCountyPolice)

A five-year-old has died after they were allegedly abandoned by a parent, who forgot to remove the child from a car seat during a heatwave in Virginia.

Officials in Fairfax County told reporters on Tuesday that officers and members of the Fairfax Fire and Rescue arrived “within minutes” of a call on Tuesday afternoon, with a report of an unconscious child, CNN reported.

According to Fairfax County Police Department Lt John Lieb, the young child was thought to have been trapped in the car “for up to several hours”, with high temperatures likely contributing to the five-year-old’s death.

After finding the child unconscious and locked into a child seat, officers performed CPR, before transporting the child to a local hospital.

“Tragically and sadly, the child was pronounced deceased at the hospital,” Lt Lieb said.

He described the incident, which is still under investigation, as a "tragic accident”, and said that investigators “will remain open-minded and look at every angle of this case and determine the full facts and circumstances.”

Temperatures in northern Virginia approached 100F on Tuesday afternoon, with Fairfax Fire and Rescue alerting residents to highs of “mid to upper 90’s” and offering advice on “heat safety”.

Lt Lieb said an autopsy will be carried out to confirm the cause and manner of the child’s death. Several other siblings were not harmed and were not inside of the car.