Georgia: ‘Blue-faced’ 2-year-old boy's death in boiling hot car was not an ‘accident,’ police say
Police suspect ‘blue-faced’ Jacob Eliel Vieras' (2) death was not an accident. He died after being left unattended in a scorching car for an extended period.
“Blue-faced” 2-year-old boy, Jacob Eliel Vieras, tragically died after being left inside a boiling hot car “for an extended period of time” in Georgia on Tuesday night, according to Cobb County Police. Police believe his death was not an accident.
On Tuesday, police responded to the unprecedented report just before 7 pm, as they found the baby was left “blue-faced” after being exposed to the extreme conditions inside the scorching car. Although they immediately took him to the hospital for aid, the toddler tragically died.
A GoFundMe page set up by a family friend to make arrangements for Jacob's funeral described the toddler's demise as an “accident.” According to Davis-Struempf Funeral Home & Crematory, he is survived by his parents, Jose Noel Vieras and Jessica Mejia; sibling, Jaylin Vieras; grandparents, Jose Marcos Mejia, Elvira Chacon, Jose Francisco Vieras, and Maria Paula Hernandez.
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“My brother Noel just lost his 2-year-old son in an accident and the family didn't have insurance to Bury him,” the fundraiser informed without further explanation.
"I'm asking and praying the people here can help raise this for the family. It is a very tough time for them. He was [an] amazing out going kid that loved his dad very much."
According to The Mirror US, a funeral service was held on Saturday at the Iglesia Pentecostal Roca de Salvacion in the wake of Jacob's passing.
Where is the investigation headed?
The police have not released further details of the ongoing investigation. Despite the early stages of the process, officers claimed there was no evidence suggesting that baby Jacob was left in the car by accident. Whether anyone will face criminal charges concerning the incident has yet to be revealed.
“My only role is to extend our sympathies to the family and the friends and the neighbors and all those who were affected by this tragedy. We need some time to sort this out before we really know what happened,” Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said.
Another similar infant death reported
This tragic report of an infant death comes just days after a Florida woman was apprehended for allegedly leaving her 2-year-old grandchild in an unattended baking hot vehicle while grocery shopping. 63-year-old Elena Grady was ultimately charged with neglect of a child causing bodily harm.
Publix store managers found the child alone in the parking lot and reported the case. Volusia County sheriff’s deputies responded to the call around 3 PM.
They later posted on Facebook that the child “appeared lethargic,” locked inside the car, which happened to be “parked in full sun, no shade, not running, with the windows cracked.”