Baby who was left in vehicle goes home to mom

WEST VALLEY CITY — An infant left in a van parked at a West Valley Wal-Mart for nearly 30 minutes Wednesday has been returned to her mother.

After reviewing reports and a store surveillance video tape, West Valley Police Capt. Steve Sandquist said investigators had a clearer picture Thursday of what happened.

A mother left her 2-month-old daughter in a car seat in the back of her mini-van while she went into the store near 5600 W. 6200 South about 12:30 p.m., Sandquist said. The baby was originally reported as a boy.

While in the store, the mother bumped into her sister, the two began talking, and the mother apparently either lost track of the time or simply forgot about her child.

A female shopper noticed the baby crying in the van and went inside to tell employees. A male and a female Wal-Mart employee went out to the van, found the door unlocked and took the infant inside. They applied damp towels to cool her down while calling paramedics, Sandquist said.

By the time paramedics arrived, the shopper who reported the infant was already gone and did not leave her name, Sandquist said.

Wal-Mart also reportedly put an announcement on its public address system looking for the mother, Unified Fire Authority Capt. Gaylord Scott said. It was unclear, according to reports Thursday, whether the mother heard those announcements or where she was at that time.

Based on the videotape, Sandquist said, detectives believed the baby was in the car for 27 minutes. Police said the infant was acting lethargic at first but seemed to be doing well by the time she was transported to the hospital.

The mother was cited for child neglect. The Division of Child and Family Services also was called to investigate.

DCFS spokeswoman Carol Sisco said the baby was released to its mother Wednesday evening in good condition. After her office conducted several interviews, it decided the child was not in danger by being returned to the parents.

"(The baby) is doing OK. It appears it was really just a mistake," she said.

The woman has three other children, and DCFS has never been called to an incident at her house, Sisco said.

DCFS has offered to help the family should it need any assistance.

The incident is another reminder that people should never leave their children alone in a car, Sisco said.

"Anything can happen," she said. "Heat is the biggest danger now. But there could also be other dangers leaving a child alone, such as someone breaking into the car or the car could start rolling."

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