Photo: CBS 3
A New Jersey father is mourning thedeath of his toddler daughter, who was left in a locked minivan on Friday for more than eight hours.
A statement from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office confirms the 2-year-old victim, Milliani Robertson-Lawrence, was pronounced dead shortly before 4 p.m. on Friday.
“At approximately 3:38 p.m., Camden County Central Communications received a 9-1-1 call in reference to a child inside of a van” at a train station in Lindenwold, New Jersey, the statement indicates.
At this point, no criminal charges have been filed. The statement does not identify the person or persons who left the child in the van, and it was not clear if authorities believe the girl’s death was an accident.
“Once I got the call, I thought it was a joke,”Lawrence recalled. “I pretty much broke down and lost my mind.”
According to the report, Lawrence was recently released from jail and was working to regain custody of Milliani.
“How do you forget that there’s a 2-year-old who makes a lot of noise in the car?,” he asked, speaking to the station.
“What did you do for eight hours that you forgot a 2-year-old?,” Lawrence said. “You killed my daughter. You took her from me.”
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The investigation into Milliani’s death continues.
Around 37 children under the age of 14 die from being left in a hot car each year,according to NoHeatStroke.org, which studies child vehicular heatstroke deaths.
Prosecutors have asked that anyone with information pertinent to the case contact Detective Mike Batista at (856) 676-8175 or DRPA Corporal Joseph Ebling at (856) 969-7884.
source: people.com
