Michigan 3-year-old left in car while father shops dies

VICKSBURG, Mich. – A 3-year-old boy died in Western Michigan after being left in a vehicle while his father shopped in a store.

It happened Tuesday, Aug. 13, in Vicksburg, a suburb of Kalamazoo.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office said the boy was found in an SUV in the parking lot of a supermarket his father stopped in after work. Authorities believe the death could have been heat-related as the temperature in Vicksburg reached the mid-80s Tuesday.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the inside of a vehicle can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes and rise 30 degrees in 20 minutes.

It’s illegal in Michigan for someone who is caring for a child 6 years old or younger to leave the child unattended in a vehicle for a period of time or under circumstances that pose “unreasonable risk of harm or injury.”

The investigation is ongoing.