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Unanswered questions trouble neighbors after 2-year-old dies in car

Posted at 7:05 PM, Jun 19, 2014
and last updated 2014-06-19 19:19:55-04

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Neighbors in the Parkway Trailer Park are still shaken by the death of a two-year-old girl who police say was left alone in a car.

CBS 6 Legal Analyst Todd Stone said the idea of a mom leaving her two-year-old alone is likely one of the first things detectives would try to figure out.

“Did the child wind the window down. Was she in a car seat? Time frame is very important. The prosecutors will be looking at all of these things and making a decision to see how negligent she was. That’s really the question. Is it a reckless disregard for human life?” Stone explained.

The man who dialed 911 said he was inside of the mobile home when the child’s mother stopped by to dye his sister’s hair. He says when the two-year-old’s mom stepped outside to check on the little girl, he heard screaming.

Just after that, he told CBS 6 that the woman came back into the mobile home and she was hysterical. She was screaming that her baby was dead.
That man said the mother never made mention that the child was in the car when she first came in.

He said the next day the child’s mother called him and explained what happened. CBS 6 News spoke with the man off camera Thursday just hours before his meeting with police detectives to share information.

A preliminary investigation showed the two-year-old’s head got trapped between the window and the door frame. So far, there are no charges from Chesterfield police.

"The police are probably taking into consideration that she's grieving and she’s not a flight risk. It’s not a huge surprise she’s not arrested right away,” Stone said.

CBS 6 News has reached out to the child’s mother through her family and we have not heard back.

Stay with WTVR.com and CBS 6 News for updates on this developing story. 

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