Indiana parents left young kids in hot car that likely reached 125 degrees: police

LAWRENCE, Ind. (WXIN) -- Two parents are accused of leaving their kids in a hot car, that police believe reached 125 degrees inside, while they shopped at an Indianapolis Walmart. The couple walked into the store Monday night and left their young children in an SUV for 40 minutes, according to the Lawrence Police Department, whose officers responded to the scene.

Police said a passerby noticed the kids inside the locked vehicle, which wasn't running, and called 911. Officers found one of the children sweating profusely while the other appeared dazed. It's unclear how old they are.

The parents, identified as Mirianne Pierre and Watson Joseph, were arrested and booked into the Marion County jail on two counts of neglect of a dependent.

Both kids were placed into the custody of the Department of Child Services.

“We never want to leave our kids unattended, much less when it's hot outside. The moment we shut that engine off, the temperatures rise really rapidly,” said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Sgt. Anthony Patterson.

While Indianapolis police aren't investigating the case, they reminded parents to never leave their children or pets in an unattended car when its hot outside.

“Once those doors are shut, the temperatures rise really quickly," said Paterson. "You may feel like it's only a couple minutes, but to the person or child inside the car, that's an eternity. It gets really hot really fast."

On Tuesday, Indiana State Police in Bloomington posted a similar warning on their Facebook page, saying: "The Indiana State Police Bloomington District wants to remind Hoosier parents and pet owners of the extreme dangers of high temperatures and leaving an unattended child and/or pet in a hot vehicle. Never leave an unattended child or pet in a vehicle even with the windows cracked and make it a habit to check the entire vehicle before walking away."