Riverside, Ca- On Thursday, June 30, 2005, at approximately 1133 hours, Riverside Police Officers and Fire/Medical personnel responded to the 3800 block of Tyler reference a 911 call of a baby left in a vehicle. They discovered a female 2-month old baby being held by her mother. The baby was conscious and transported to Parkview Community Hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Initial medical treatment consisted of an IV for hydration purposes. No CPR or artificial breathing was rendered. The baby is reported in good condition and is being held overnight for observation. Child Protective Services also responded and is conducting an investigation. The mother of the infant was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and does not have a history of child neglect. However, she was cited for a violation of the 2002 “Kaitlyn’s Law.” Additionally, Riverside Police Department detectives will review this case for possible child endangerment charges.

Our initial investigation revealed that the mother picked up the infant from her babysitter and ran a couple of errands lasting about 30 minutes before parking her vehicle and walking into a restaurant. Within a few minutes of walking into the restaurant, she remembered that she left her baby in the car. The mother hurriedly went out to the car and removed her daughter from the child safety restraint seat located in the middle of the rear seat. The mother became frantic and yelled for bystanders to call emergency services.

The outside temperature was approximately 89 degrees. However, the windows to the vehicle were rolled up, which could easily cause the inside vehicle temperature to exceed 100 degrees. The public is reminded of the inherent dangers associated with leaving infants and small children alone in a vehicle, no matter how short of a period.