8-Year-Old Girl Dies After Mother Allegedly Leaves Her In Hot Car While Working

Her mother, Ashley Stallings, found the child unresponsive, foaming at the mouth and taking shallow breaths.

A North Carolina woman faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse after her 8-year-old daughter died after being left alone in a hot car.

According to police, Ashley Stallings, 36, went to work June 26 and left her daughter in her vehicle with the air conditioning on. However, the police arrived in the scene that afternoon to discover the young girl in the vehicle unresponsive and having a medical emergency. She later died at a hospital in Charlotte, from a brain herniation due to hyperthermia.

Police arrested Stallings the next day.

According to her affidavit, which was obtained by ABC News, Stallings believed her daughter turned off the air conditioning without knowing how to turn it back on. She returned to the vehicle to check on the girl after the girl stopped responding to her texts—about 90 minutes. There, the mother found the elementary schooler foaming out the mouth and taking shallow breaths on the backseat floorboard.

Stallings broke into the car with a hammer and attempted to drive to the hospital before stopping for help at a nearby business.

“She admitted she knew the temperature was 94 degrees outside and that she should not have left the victim inside the car alone,” according the affidavit. Stallings was working her shift at an Amazon facility while the incident occurred.

The incident marked at least the fifth hot car death so far this year, according to the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety. ABC News reported that a car can heat to 124 degrees in only 30 minutes when it’s 90 degrees outside, according to the National Weather Service.

“This is an incredibly tragic incident,” Amazon said in a statement. “During this difficult time, we’re supporting our employees and have made counseling resources widely available.

An investigation by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department remains ongoing. Stallings is currently being held on a $250,000 bond. She is expected to appear at a trial set for July 16.