Mother 'left 7-month-old baby to die alone in scorching hot car' say police

A Georgia mum has been accused of leaving her seven-month-old baby inside a sweltering car whilst she worked nearby on a blistering day.

Nyla Simmons, 22, allegedly abandoned the infant inside the vehicle before heading to work at the neighbouring Kia Automotive Dealership on Ledo Road in Albany. She subsequently discovered the baby unresponsive and dashed to hospital.

The child tragically passed away. An investigation was initiated following the devastating incident on October 16.

The mother now faces charges of second-degree murder and cruelty to a child, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. It remains unclear how long Simmons allegedly abandoned the baby in the vehicle, but temperatures in the region soared to a stifling 31 degrees Celsius that day, reports the Mirror US.

Whilst a post-mortem examination was conducted, the findings have not yet been disclosed.

Coroner Michael Fowler told reporters: "If there is not any trauma to the child or injuries to the child, then a lot of time, you got to wait on [toxicology] and the histology, all of that, to come in and see what happened."

Officers from the GBI apprehended Simmons on November 3. She remains behind bars.

This case follows that of an Arizona man who was discovered dead as he faced sentencing for allegedly drinking beer, playing video games, and watching pornography whilst his 2 year old daughter perished from heat exposure in a car on a scorching 42-degree day last summer. Christopher Scholtes, 37, admitted guilt after being charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death of his daughter, Parker, on 9 July 2024.

However, he failed to appear at the hearing where he was due to be sent to prison.

Following an inquiry, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office declared him dead on Wednesday. The Phoenix police are now investigating the incident as a potential suicide.

During a previous court hearing in Tucson, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting that the father had a long history of leaving his children unattended in vehicles. This was supported by witness accounts and text messages between the husband and wife, which were seized by investigators during the criminal investigation.

In this specific case, prosecutors argue that the father became distracted by video games and adult content, leaving his child in their parked car in the Marana driveway for over three hours, resulting in her death.

Prosecutors also presented text messages that they believe demonstrate a pattern of reckless behaviour by the father, who repeatedly left his children inside vehicles.

Two of his daughters informed the police that he had previously left them in cars and often becomes "distracted playing games" while "putting away food," according to police records.

The father told investigators that he left his daughter in the car with the air conditioning on for 30 minutes because she had fallen asleep on their journey home from shopping. He later confessed that the car's engine automatically switches off after 30 minutes.