THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 14, 2022 at 19:07 JST
A 2-year-old girl was found unconscious in a minivan parked in this lot in Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture, on Nov. 12 before she was confirmed dead at a hospital. (Eriko Kai)
KISHIWADA, Osaka Prefecture--A 2-year-old girl whose father forgot to drop her off at a nursery school died of heatstroke after being left for hours in the family’s vehicle on Nov. 12, according to Osaka prefectural police.
Her father, 33, told officers he put his three daughters in the family’s minivan at around 8 a.m. that morning to drive them to their separate nursery schools.
After dropping off the eldest daughter, 4, and the youngest daughter, 1, he forgot about the last child, Seira Fuchigami, police said.
“I forgot to drop my second eldest daughter (at her nursery school) and went home,” the father reportedly told police.
Police believe Seira was locked in the vehicle for about nine hours before she was found unconscious. They estimated the time of death was around 4 p.m.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the highest temperatures on Nov. 12 in various areas in Osaka Prefecture were above 20 degrees.
When the father went to the nursery school in the same minivan to pick up Seira just after 5 p.m., one of the teachers told him, “She didn’t come here today.”
He searched the minivan and found the unconscious girl in a child seat at the back of the vehicle, police said.
The father called emergency services at around 5:25 p.m. on Nov. 12, according to police.
He reported that he found his daughter limp in his minivan, which was parked at the nursery school in Kishiwada.
According to prefectural police and the local fire department, the girl was rushed to a hospital in Kishiwada after being found unconscious. She was confirmed dead soon after.
She had no visible external injuries, officers said.
An autopsy was conducted on the morning of Nov. 14 to determine the official cause of death.
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