Overview
- Vernal police arrested 34-year-old Tommy Dean Platero on reckless child abuse homicide-related charges after a child died following a period alone in a car.
- Investigators say the child was left in a car seat with the vehicle shut off and windows up for about two and a half hours before being found unresponsive.
- Hospital and police records show the child had an internal body temperature of 109°F and investigators estimated the vehicle interior reached between 131°F and 151°F while outside temperatures were near 92°F.
- Platero told police he had intended to take the child to daycare but forgot and later returned to find the child not breathing with foam at the mouth; officials have not released the child’s age, gender, or relationship to Platero.
- The case remains under active investigation and could lead to further charges or disclosures, and public health experts note that vehicle interiors can rise to deadly levels for children in minutes when outside temperatures are high.