- One-year-old girl couldn’t be revived
- Was mistakenly left in car for ‘extended period’
A man is assisting police with their inquiries after a baby girl was found dead in a car outside a childcare centre.
Emergency services raced to the scene in Marana Road, Earlwood in Sydney’s inner-west at about 5.35pm on Tuesday following reports of an unresponsive child inside a car.
The one-year-old was unable to be revived at the scene, despite paramedics’ best efforts.
It is believed the little girl was mistakenly left in the car by a ‘direct relative’ for an ‘extended period of time’ as temperatures soared past 30C in Sydney.
Police suspect the man had gone to pick her up from the childcare centre only to realise he hadn’t dropped her off in the morning.
The exact circumstances of what happened are still being investigated.
NSW Police have established a crime scene and commenced a major investigation.
Police remain at a Earlwood childcare centre, where a one-year-old girl was found unresponsive in a car
Paramedics were unable to revive the unresponsive baby girl at the scene
‘Leaving a child in a vehicle at any time can be dangerous,’ Superintendent Christine McDonald said on Tuesday night.
‘Leaving a child inside a vehicle for an extended period of time can be deadly.
‘This is an absolute tragedy.
‘It’s something that affects the wider community as well… This has a rippling effect right throughout our community because so many of us can put ourselves in a similar situation.’
At this stage, no charges have been laid.
The male car owner was taken to hospital suffering from shock.
‘Once he’s able to, we’ll speak to him to obtain more details,’ Supt McDonald said.
The child’s mother was also assisting police.
Police were called to Marana Road in Earlwood at about 5.35pm on Tuesday. Pictured is the cordoned off scene
Paramedics were unable to save the one-year-old mistakenly left inside a car for ‘an extended period’
Emergency responders who attended the ‘deeply traumatic’ incident will be offered support.
‘I’m a mother, you can imagine how traumatic, you just – in fact, you can’t even imagine it,’ Supt McDonald said.
‘So no doubt the parents will be extremely upset. ‘
Photos from the scene show the cordoned off street swarming with police officers and paramedics.
A police rescue van was also on scene.
A distraught man was seen standing in front of an ambulance speaking to police, who remained at the scene.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
The latest tragedy comes just two days after the second anniversary of the death of toddler Arikh Hasan, who was left in a car for six hours on a 35C day in Glenfield in Sydney’s south-west in February 2023.
Newaz Hasan bundled his two sons into his car for the morning school run, dropping his eldest at primary school and believing he had dropped his youngest to daycare before returning to their Glenfield home to work.
But when he returned to his car in the afternoon to pick the boys up, his youngest son, Arikh, was still strapped in the back seat.
Arikh had spent six hours stuck in the scorching car on the 35C day while the vehicle was parked in the driveway.
The temperature inside a car can be more than 30C hotter than outside the car, according to the NRMA.
Children trapped inside cars during hot days can become quickly distressed, dehydrated and die from organ failure.
