MANSFIELD — Mansfield police Chief Jason Bammann said Monday local authorities are still waiting for an autopsy report on a 5-year-old boy who died inside a hot vehicle on Thursday.
The child’s body was taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for autopsy, according to local officials.
No charges in the case had been filed as of Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a national organization reported Monday that five children, including the boy in Mansfield, died in hot cars across the United States in the last eight days.
On Friday, Bammann said detectives were continuing their investigation while waiting for autopsy results.
“Once all facts are collected, it will then be presented to the (Richland County) Prosecutor’s Office for review and determination of whether any criminal mens rea existed,” the chief said.
Mens rea is a Latin, legal term that focuses on a defendant’s intent or mental state at the time of the incident in question.
“For that reason, we do not want to speculate on charges or possible charges at this time,” Bammann said Friday.
According to a 9-1-1 recording, a call Thursday around 2:30 p.m. was placed by the child’s mother — who told a dispatcher she had left her “baby in the car” across from Mansfield Memorial Homes.
The woman was distressed and could be heard wailing and crying in the background as another man picked up the phone to speak with the dispatcher.
According to the website www.kidsandcars.org, 12 children have died inside hot vehicles in 2025 across the country.
The most recent occurred Sunday in Bakersfield, Calif., when a mother left a 1-year-old boy alone inside a car for two hours while she was visiting a medical spa, according to police.
On Saturday, a 3-month-old was found dead in a vehicle after authorities say the child was left in a locked car in Mission, Texas.
Other recent hot-vehicle deaths reported involved a 4-year-old in Brownsville, Texas, inside a daycare van on June 27 and a 4-year-old in Metter, Ga., on June 22.
The Kids and Car Safety organization reported Monday at least 1,137 children have died inside hot vehicles since 1990 around the country and another 7,500 survived with varying types and severities of injuries.
The organization said about 88 percent of children who die in hot vehicles are 3 years old or younger — and 55 percent were “unknowingly left” by an “otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver.”
As the country prepares for a three-day, 4th-of-July weekend, the organization encouraged adults to be cautious.
“A leading contributing factor to (children dying in vehicles) is a change in routine, which can result in children being unknowingly left behind in vehicles — many of whom were intended to be dropped off at daycare,” Kids and Car Safety said.
Safety Tips for Parents and Caregivers
Create simple habits to help keep your child safe.
- Make sure your child is never left alone in a car:
- Place the child’s diaper bag or item in the front passenger seat as a visual cue that the child is with you.
- Make it a habit of opening the back door every time you park to ensure no one is left behind. To enforce this habit, place an item that you can’t start your day without in the back seat (employee badge, laptop, phone, handbag, etc.)
- Ask your childcare provider to call you right away if your child hasn’t arrived as scheduled.
- Clearly announce and confirm who is getting each child out of the vehicle. Miscommunication can lead to thinking someone else removed the child.
Technology exists that can prevent these unthinkable tragedies, according to the organization.
A provision was passed in November 2021 as a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a regulation by November, 2023, for technology in all new cars to help prevent hot car deaths.
The final rule is now more than a year and a half overdue from the Congressionally mandated deadline, according to Kids and Car Safety.
On May 1, grieving families sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urging him to issue a long-overdue Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for a federal safety standard requiring life-saving rear seat occupant detection technology in all new vehicles.
“We are committed to the push for occupant detection technology in all cars immediately. As we continue our advocacy, children continue to die week after week. It is beyond heartbreaking,” stated Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety.
“Automakers do not have to wait for the final regulation to be issued requiring technology; they can add occupant detection technology to their vehicles today,” she said.
Hot car resources
Differences between rear seat reminder alert only & occupant detection
Occupant detection technology demonstration video
Safety tips for parents and caregivers
Create simple habits to help keep your child safe, according to Kids and Car Safety:
- Make sure your child is never left alone in a car:
- Place the child’s diaper bag or item in the front passenger seat as a visual cue that the child is with you.
- Make it a habit of opening the back door every time you park to ensure no one is left behind. To enforce this habit, place an item that you can’t start your day without in the back seat (employee badge, laptop, phone, handbag, etc.)
- Ask your childcare provider to call you right away if your child hasn’t arrived as scheduled.
- Clearly announce and confirm who is getting each child out of the vehicle. Miscommunication can lead to thinking someone else removed the child.
Make sure children cannot get into a parked car:
- Keep vehicles locked at all times, especially in the garage or driveway. Ask neighbors and visitors to do the same.
- Never leave car keys within reach of children.
- Use childproofing knob covers and door alarms to prevent children from exiting your home unnoticed.
- Teach children to honk the horn or turn on hazard lights if they become stuck inside a car.
- If a child is missing, immediately check the inside, floorboards and trunk of all vehicles in the area carefully, even if they’re locked.
For more information, visit https://www.kidsandcars.org/how-kids-get-hurt/heat-stroke/.
