A day care van driver in Nebraska is being charged after a 1-year-old girl died after she was left in a hot van for five to six hours, according to officials.
Officials were called to Kidz of the Future Childcare in Omaha on Monday afternoon for reports of an unresponsive baby inside a van, as temperatures were in the upper 90s.
Officers found 1-year-old Ra'Miyah Worthington inside the van, and court documents say her body temperature was 109 degrees Fahrenheit at the time, according to court documents. She was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Driver Ryan Williams, 62, was charged with one felony count of child negligence resulting in death, a charge that carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.
NEBRASKA GIRL, 1, DIES AFTER BEING LEFT IN HOT DAYCARE VAN; DRIVER ARRESTED
Williams allegedly told investigators he was distracted by a young boy who didn't want to leave the van and was unloading the vehicle, saying he mistakenly forgot the 1-year-old inside the van. When a second staff member went to get the boy, Williams said he closed the van without taking a thorough sweep of the van like he usually would.
Douglas County Chief Deputy Attorney Brenda Beadle said, "He was responsible for getting those kids inside."
LONG ISLAND TODDLER, 1, DEAD AFTER 8 HOURS IN HOT CAR
"That little girl was in that van between five and six hours with the temperature outside reaching nearly 100," Beadle said.
While the toddler's death is being investigated, state officials say the day care center will remain closed.
Sina Johnson, the girl's mother, told WOWT that "She loved, loved, loved her family."
"She loved her daddy. She was daddy’s little girl," Johnson said.
