A Connecticut man has been charged after allegedly leaving his one-year-old son inside a hot vehicle while he worked at his family’s strawberry farm, with the child later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The East Windsor Police Department in US said Kevin Pell contacted authorities last month and reported that he had left the boy inside the vehicle because the child was sleeping.
Pell allegedly told police that he went to work on his family’s strawberry farm and later returned to find his son “blue and not breathing.” According to a search warrant, Pell initially told a dispatcher that he “didn’t have the AC on” while the child was inside the vehicle. He allegedly gave a different account when officers arrived, saying the air conditioning had been running.
The warrant described the vehicle as “not habitable for the child,” stating that it had been parked directly in the sun with its windows and sunroof closed. Police said Pell was performing CPR on his son when first responders arrived. Emergency personnel took over efforts to revive the child before he was transported to Connecticut Children’s Medical Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Pell has been charged with risk of injury to a child, while authorities said additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues. He appeared in court on Thursday, September 10, but did not enter a plea. He is scheduled to return to court next month. The charge against Pell remains an allegation, and the investigation into the circumstances surrounding his son’s death is ongoing.