A 32-year-old father is in custody following what a Louisiana sheriff described as a “tragic” fatality.
On Sunday, authorities responded to a residence in Madisonville after a 21-month-old girl was discovered unresponsive in a car seat inside a vehicle, as stated in a release from the Saint Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office reported that the little girl was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Authorities discovered that Joseph Boatman, the girl’s father, had shown up at a family member’s residence around 2:30 a.m. to collect his daughter. Authorities reported that the individual abducted the girl, placed her in the vehicle, but then inexplicably returned to the house.
A relative discovered the girl inside the vehicle around noon the following day.
In a recent update from the National Weather Service, it was reported that Madisonville, located approximately 40 miles north of New Orleans, experienced a high temperature of 92 degrees today.
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives discovered that before Boatman went to collect his daughter, he had ingested several alcoholic drinks.
Boatman was arrested on Sunday and faces charges of second-degree murder, as reported by the sheriff’s office. Authorities have established his bond at a staggering $750,000.
“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said in a statement. “When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”
