A 15-month-old baby tragically died in Belgium after being left inside a parked vehicle for several hours on a warm summer day, authorities confirmed on Friday.
The heartbreaking incident occurred Thursday in the city of Namur, prompting local prosecutors to open a manslaughter investigation. A forensic report determined the cause of death to be hyperthermia, or excessive body heat, ruling out any signs of violence.
“According to the preliminary findings of the investigation, the child was forgotten inside a vehicle,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Local reports suggest the father may have unintentionally left the baby in the car after failing to drop them off at daycare on his way to work. The child remained in the vehicle at his workplace parking lot for most of the day.
Temperatures in Namur reached approximately 25°C (77°F) that afternoon, a level high enough to turn a closed car into a deadly environment for children in a short span of time.
