A child has died after her mother left her in a stifling car for six hours whilst she went to work.
The 36-year old mum - who is yet to be named in the press - turned up for her 6:00am shift at United States Gypsum in Galena Park, Texas on Tuesday (1 Jul), bringing her nine-year-old daughter along with her.
Despite claiming to have left the youngster with a bottle of water, and the vehicle's windows partially opened, the temperatures inside the mother's car are said to have sky-rocketed to an insufferable 36 degrees (97 Fahrenheit) throughout the day.
It was she who called the police after returning to the vehicle six hours later, at around 2:06pm, claiming the child was unresponsive.
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The emergency service rushed to the scene, but were only able to arrive at the office's car park at around 3:15pm.
According to ABC13, the girl was subsequently Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, located 10 miles away. Despite attempts to save her life, however, paramedics declared soon after that she'd passed away.
Ed Gonzalez, Harris County's Sheriff, later admitted he 'doesn't know if anyone checked on' the child throughout the day.
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"A nine-year-old beautiful little girl has lost her life by no fault of her own," he told press.
"The temperature is extremely high, as we know – I think it’s at least 97°F. Any amount of time can be very dangerous and even fatal for a small child. A child’s temperature increases at a much higher rate than an adult’s."
The neglectful mother has since been detailed, with charges likely be pressed in the following days.
Whilst Gonzalez said, 'You can be sympathetic to her situation', he added that 'it's never acceptable to leave a child in the car'.
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The Sheriff went on to explain that it remains unclear whether childcare or family issues served to prevent the mother from providing the girl with proper care.
"Maybe she has to make ends meet and keep food on the table and work," Gonzalez continued. "But the risk of death or harm -- there's just no reconciling that in my mind.
"You got to make other arrangements. It's not worth it to put a child at risk like this, for any particular reason."
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Kathleen Prause, a USG Corp spokesperson, also released a statement on the matter.
"I can confirm a medical emergency occurred today at a USG plant in Galena Park, TX, involving the child of an employee," she told press.
"Our thoughts are with the family of the child and all those impacted. Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of USG team members and our community.
"We are monitoring the situation closely and are cooperating fully with local authorities as they respond and conduct their investigation. We will provide updates as appropriate."
Rhianna Benson