The child was discovered by an employee walking in the hospital employee parking lot
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office
NEED TO KNOW
- A 1-year-old baby was left in a car for nearly nine hours while his mother worked at a Georgia hospital
- Police said the car’s interior reached 117 degrees an hour after the child was removed
- The infant’s mother, Deja Coleman, was arrested on one count of murder in the second-degree
A 1-year-old infant was found dead inside a locked car on Wednesday, July 29, in Georgia while his mother worked at a nearby hospital.
The boy’s mother, Deja Coleman, was arrested on one count of murder in the second-degree and one count of cruelty to children in the second-degree, the Lawrenceville Police Department announced on Thursday, July 30.
Coleman, 29, was arrested after officers responded to a report from a hospital employee that there was an unresponsive child in a locked car at the employee parking lot of Northside Gwinnett Hospital in Lawrenceville.
Authorities responded to the scene around 3:50 p.m. After discovering the child, they attempted life-saving measures, but he was deceased.
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An hour after the child was removed from the vehicle, its interior was 117 degrees, Lawrenceville Police Captain Dena Pauly said during a press conference, according to CBS Atlanta. The outside temperature reached a high of 86 degrees on July 30, according to Weather Underground.
Pauly said Coleman was “devastated” to learn that her son died. Coleman told authorities that she arrived at work at 6:55 a.m., meaning her son was in the car for nearly nine hours. She told police she took her other two children to daycare but forgot to bring her youngest child inside, Pauly said, according to KBTX.
Coleman was booked into the Gwinnett County Detention Center.
There have been 17 pediatric hot car death in the U.S. this year so far, according to the National Safety Council. A reported 34 children died in hot cars in 2025, including two deaths in Georgia.
“Slow down. Slow down in life,” Pauly said during Thursday’s press conference. “If you need help, seek help. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself so that you can take care of your children.”
PEOPLE reached out to the Lawrenceville Police Department for comment.
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