Homestead, Florida: Keyner Roman Vazquez de Leon charged after baby left in car for eight hours dies
A baby has died after being left unattended in a car for eight hours, with a man charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm. Here is what we know.
A baby has died after being left unattended in a car for eight hours.
Around 3pm on Saturday, emergency services in Florida were contacted about an unattended child in a car in the city of Homestead.
When first responders arrived, they found a one-year-old girl unconscious.
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Police later revealed that she had been left inside the vehicle for eight hours, NBC6 reported.
Keyner Roman Vazquez de Leon was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child under 18, leaving a child under six unattended in a motor vehicle resulting in bodily harm, and child neglect causing great bodily harm.
He was not related to the baby but had transported her from her home to her babysitter’s house six days a week for most of the one-year-old’s life.
On the morning of the baby’s death, Mr Vazquez de Leon picked her up, as well as another person who he regularly transported to work.
After dropping that person off, police allege the 22-year-old arrived home around 9am, turned the car off with the baby still inside, and washed cars outside of his house.
Around six hours later, the baby’s mum contacted Mr Vazquez de Leon, asking where her daughter was, at which point he realised she was still inside his vehicle.
He raced to the car, where he found the baby unconscious and carried her inside his house while calling emergency services.
Mr Vazquez de Leon was taken into custody and later plead guilty in a pre-trial detention hearing.
Neighbour Berlin Vasquez told NBC6 the charged man often took children to school.
“He normally takes kids to school,” he said.
“Yesterday, he was taking care of baby basically two years old, and he forgot.
“Eight hours inside a car and he forgot.”
Another neighbour said the tragic incident would impact trust levels in the area.
“It’s very painful,” she said.
“We have our kids, we leave them with someone to take (care) of them, and now we don’t have that confidence to do so.”
Mr Vazquez de Leon faces up to 50 years in prison., according to CBS News.
