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Police: 1-year-old dies after being left in car outside Orange County business

The Mebane Police Department said Friday it is investigating the death of a 1-year-old child that had allegedly been left inside of a vehicle.

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By
Leslie Moreno
, WRAL multimedia journalist
MEBANE, N.C. — The Mebane Police Department said it is investigating the death of a 1-year-old child that had allegedly been left inside of a vehicle.

Around 12:23 p.m. Friday, police said officers responded to reports of a cardiac arrest at Armacell on Oakwood Street Extension in Mebane.

According to the police, when officers arrived CPR was being administered to an unresponsive 1-year-old, but the efforts were unsuccessful and the child died at the scene.

Police said the investigation revealed that the father of the child worked at Armacell and the child had been left in the vehicle.

Investigators have not determined how long the child was in the vehicle, according to police.

The temperature in Mebane around that time was close to 86 degrees.

“Absolutely do not leave them in the car at all with this temperature," said local mother Na'Tasha Stewart. "The heat, the humidity, anything can happen.”

Jan Null is a research meteorologist at San Jose State University. He tracks the dynamics of how hot vehicles can get.

“On an 86° day the temperature inside a vehicle is going to be 130° and most of that heat rises in the first 30 minutes or so,” said Null.

He said children feel it much more quickly.

“Their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult so while you and I could be in that environment very uncomfortable after minutes that can get to be a deadly temperature for a small one," said Null.

According to the National Safety Council - on average, 38 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left inside a vehicle.

“I would be devastated and I understand sometimes we think we can run in quick, but it’s just not worth it," said Stewart. "It’s too hot out here you have to be very careful.”

Police said no charges have been filed as of Friday evening.

Investigators will confer with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Anyone having information regarding this crime is asked to contact the Mebane Police Department at (919) 563-9031 or Crime Stoppers at (336) 229-7100.

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