POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says an 18-month-old baby girl died a “torturous death” after she was left in a hot car following a Fourth of July party in Lakeland.
Judd said husband and wife, Joel and Jazmine Rondon, both 33 years old, are facing felony aggravated manslaughter charges in connection with their daughter’s death.
Authorities said the Rondon’s left a Fourth of July party with their three kids, ages 8, 6 and 18 months old to return to their Winchester Estates home at 2 a.m. The couple began unloading the car. Jazmine told Joel to bring the baby inside while she put the two older kids to bed.
Joel saw all four doors of their car closed, assuming the baby was out. It wasn’t until 11 a.m. Joel discovered the baby inside the car.
“This child is 18 months old,” Judd said. “She is not old enough to let herself out of the harness but she’s old enough to realize she’s suffering a torturous death at the negligence of Joel and Jazmine.”
Judd said the heat index that day was 105 degrees. The toddler was found unresponsive. He brought his child inside and rushed her to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.
“After the life-saving measures, after the body being cool down, the baby still had a core temperature of 104.4° and this was like three hours after the baby was taken out of the hot car,” Judd said.
Neighbors saw the investigation unfold and are devastated.
“I have a 22-month old and a 7-month old, so I know how hot Florida is just early in the morning so my heart goes out to the family,” Shannon Parker said.
Kids and Car Safety said there have been five kids that have died in hot cars this year in Florida alone. The toddler is the 10th child to die in a hot car in the country this year.
“A little child doesn’t stand a chance inside of a vehicle, which acts like a greenhouse, heats up very quickly to deadly temperatures that can affect a child within minutes,” said Amber Rollins, Kids and Care Safety Director.
Rollins said a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult. She also said in some cases like this there’s miscommunication.
“Almost every single case where a child is unknowingly left, there’s some type of change in that normal family routine that contributes to that child being left behind,” she said.
Sheriff Judd said that 17 hours after arriving home from the party, authorities said Jazmine and Joel both tested positive for alcohol and marijuana. Joel also had meth in his system.
“You can imagine what kind of kind of shape they were in when they arrived from this party and left this child harnessed in the baby seat,” Judd said.
Investigators said Rondon’s two older kids ages 6 and 8 are in the care of other family members and the Department of Children and Families is involved.