Texas: A man was arrested on Tuesday after he forgot his six-month-old daughter in a hot car for about four hours while he was taking a soundless nap inside the house in Melissa.
Michael Thedford, 33, an unemployed former high school teacher, dropped off his children, aged three and five, at a day care around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. When he returned home after picking them up, Thedford forgot about his daughter and went inside to sleep, he told police.
Thedford woke about four hours later, around 1 p.m., and realized he had left the child in the car and found her unresponsive when he removed her from the car seat, court documents stated. He then brought the infant into the house and placed her into the refrigerator for an undisclosed amount of time before calling 911, while trying unsuccessfully to perform CPR.
The child was on the kitchen floor when police arrived, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thedford was arrested and charged with manslaughter after he was questioned by authorities. He was released on $20,000 bond Tuesday, and it’s unclear whether Thedford has obtained a lawyer or entered a plea.
The ambient temperature in McKinney, Texas, about 10 miles away, was 91 degrees Fahrenheit at noon that day. The cause of the child's death is under investigation
