On Friday, Nov. 29, 2013 police responded to a call of a child left unattended in a vehicle just before 8 a.m. at the South Edmonton Common shopping centre. When police arrived, they observed an eight-year-old girl in the rear seat of the vehicle. The hood of the car and interior of the car were reported to be cold to the touch as the weather was around -8 C.
Police had the girl unlock the vehicle and placed her in the warm patrol car.
It was reported that the girl had been left alone in the vehicle for a lengthy period of time. The child told police she left the vehicle at one point to look for her mother in the store but returned to the vehicle when she was unable to locate her.
“Although the young girl was dressed appropriately for winter weather conditions, the vehicle had substantially cooled down,” says Const. Kamlesh Patel with Southeast Division. “A vehicle is not a babysitter. Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle goes beyond the weather conditions, whether it is a cold winter day or hot summer day. The safety and well-being of a child should always be the priority.”
Subsequent investigations indicate that the mother had allegedly left the child unattended in the vehicle for over an hour and was charged with causing a child to be in need of intervention under the Child, Youth and Family Act.