A Hammond-area man is charged with murder after police say he left his young daughter in a hot car for hours on Sunday.
St. Tammany Parish deputies responded around noon to a Madisonville-area residence where a relative found the girl unresponsive inside a parked car.
The 21-month-old was pronounced dead, and deputies arrested Joseph Boatman.
Investigators say Boatman had been drinking when he picked up his daughter from a relative around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, and then left her in the car when he got home.
“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”
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