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Davis County prosecutors to screen charges for baby left in hot car

I hope this mother isn't prosecuted. What she is going through is enough of a punishment, she needs our support, we all do dumb things. Remember the story back in 2002: Paul Wayment left his son Gage in a truck while he scouted for deer. Gage wandered from the truck and froze to death. Judge Hilder sentenced Paul- Paul, grief and in pain, committed suicide. Had the courts dealt with Paul differently, Paul would probably still be alive today. A baby is dead, don't add a parent to that list.

Unless there is some proof that his mother decided to rid herself of this child by leaving him in the car on purpose, I say let it go. I feel nothing, but sympathy for this poor woman. I hope she can forgive herself.

Soory but if it was a daycare provider you would see people saying she needs tyo be prosecuted. Parents should look out for there children. The mother did not do as a mother should and care for her child. I don't think jail is the answer but we need to send a message that if you have children you need to make sure they are cared for. Don't just leave them in the car like an old bag. We have a double standard if it was daycare people would be jumping up and say send her to jail.

I think they need to look at this case, think of the way this baby suffered and later died. I don't know how anyone could forget their baby. I do feel very sad for the mother, I don't know how anyone could get past such a tragedy. This tragedy needs to serve as a reminder to all of us who are parents!

These cases seem to play out the same way:

If the baby survives, the parent goes to jail.

If the baby dies, the parent goes free because they've "suffered enough."

Seems rather backwards.

Anyone who has had multiple sleepless nights with a small infant can attest to the affect it has on your brain and memory. I've been sick with sympathy for this poor mother and baby. What a horrible, unfortunate event. I hope any judgements are truly just in the eyes of God and man. Remember, even the Savior's own parents forgot him once. True, the details differed, but perfection has only been found in one person, ever.

Being a mother myself I honestly don't know how a mother could forget a baby in a car especially for 2 hours.. HEARTBREAKING !!!!

I really feel for the mother, but I just do not understand how you can forget your child. Lack of sleep in my personal opinion is just a bad excuse. She was awake enough to load him in the car. But couldn't remember to get him out. Something is not right about the whole thing. Wake up parents. Be PRESENT to your life and to your children's lives!!

My son who's 18 and I talked about this last night and he asked me, "how can a parent forget their child, if she went in to visit someone, wouldn't that person ask where the baby was"? Wouldn't you respond, he's at the babysitters, in the car, with his dad, home, etc? My son couldn't believe that someone would leave a baby in the car and he's 18! So if an 18 year old MAN can figure it out why can't a mother. I'm sorry for their loss, I've been there and that loss is always with you, but think about how that baby felt roasting in the car screaming, who answered him? If someone shakes a baby and causes a death don't they feel the same remorse, yet they get prosecuted, if you leave a baby in a tub for 2 second and they drown, they get prosecuted for neglect, should be the same standards, be responsible for your actions. In this state is called an oxy-moron.

What good would it be to prosecute the mother? By putting her in jail will she be more likely not to do this again? I don�t think so. I think the message is clear. Would the message to the public by putting her in jail stop somebody else from making this mistake? No! People are not going to think wow I better remember to take my kid inside because I could be sent to jail. This does not happen on purpose! The mother and family will suffer for the rest of their life! Leave them alone!

I drive through Layton every day. I often have the Layton PD follow me to see if I go one mile over the speed limit. So far I have not gotten a ticket. If I ever go 40 miles per hour in a 30 mile zone and get a ticket I can say "I am sorry I forgot the speed limit changed going down that hill. I have already sufferd enough"

When I was a very young mom I parked my car in the shade. I rolled down all the windows. I sat on the lawn 10 feet from my sleeping toddler. I knew he would wake in 10-15 minutes. He did not wake. I got him out of the car. He was very hot and sweaty. I cooled him off and took him to the Dr. I thank the Lord he was OK.

To the "Gage" poster it was the guilt the man felt not the laws reaction to the neglect that caused the man to kill himself.

Most parents would not want to live if they knew they caused the death of their own child.

If I hadn't known someone personally that this happened to, only the baby was lucky enough to live, than I would maybe be calling this negligent. But the person that I know this happened to was and is a wonderful mother who would never harm her children.

People CAN forget their sleeping children in the back seat of their cars. It happens to good parents. A good parent does not equal a perfect parent. Intentions do count for something.

I think that a good idea is for someone to come up with a car window sticker that reminds people to check for babies as they are getting out.

Since this happens all too often, maybe there needs to be more attention brought to prevention. There must be prevention for those parents who CAN forget their children in the car. Maybe that is not you. Maybe you would never do that. But instead of thinking that everyone is the same as you, why not assume that we are all different and yet most people have good intentions, especially when it comes to the safety of their children.

You think of that poor 5 month old baby roasting in the car with no relief in sight, and the mother, who is completely responsible for a helpless child "forgot" for 2 hours. Am sure she feels much anguish and pain. And then this little one dies, and am sure than anguish increases many times over. She is suffering, her family is suffering... but so did that little baby. Will she ever do it again? HIGHLY doubt it. But does that mean she should get off for negligence? It's a pickle, isn't it? I hope the DA's office makes the right choice. There have been tons of comments on this site as well as others about how people feel about this... so people are paying attention to it, and hopefully, will save another child's life from something like this. It's unfortunate that these tragedies are sometimes needed for people/parents to take notice. But if some parent/person out there remembers this story, and is more careful than they normally would have been, it might save another little one. So, is it worth it to prosecute? I wouldn't want to make that decision. My prayers are with the family.

This is a horrible mistake...she will have to live with. It will haunt her dreams at night and during the day. I am sure she will play this over in her mind for eternity.
The law will decide if this is a punishable crime and the rest of us just need to remember to check for children in our cars.
The only things I can say is do not judge, because it could happen to anyone.

I think a better solution would be to have this mother, and possibly other parents who've had similar situations happen to them, be part of a public service video reminding all of us to be more aware of what we do, where our children are, and to TAKE TIME to remember. We are in such a hurry-up world that we often don't slow down enough to just think. I will not make judgments about her. She has 2 other children, I think, and she has not forgotten them in the car. I don't presume to know why she forgot this little boy. I am so sad for this family. I hope they will get appropriate counseling to help them deal with it. I hope they will not play the "blame game" with each other and just love and support each other through this tragedy. Their little boy is fine. Yes, he suffered, and that is very sad, but he is fine now, and they can someday be with him. My prayers are with them.

our daughter-in-law stopped to pick up a check from her dad to buy his groceries. Her 18-month-old daughter was asleep in the back seat of their truck, in a child car seat, within 10 feet of her mother, never out of sight. A man on drugs saw the truck, jumped in and drove off with our daughter-in-law chasing him on foot, pounding on the truck to stop, that her baby was inside. This began a police chase that topped 100 miles per hour, and ended with the baby safe, the truck completely demolished, and the man off to jail (now prison). Very scary. This incident nearly tore apart their family, as parents blamed each other. It has taken a lot of time, healing, forgiving, and good counseling to keep them together. They have 3 girls. That's why I said in an earlier post to not play the "blame game." It accomplishes nothing but tearing your family apart. Our son's situation ended well, but it could have been a tragedy. Life is fragile and things can change in an instant. I hope friends and family will be compassionate, and support BOTH parents, and the remaining children through this difficult time.

There is absolutely no excuse for this. Not a one!

For those ignorant posters who feel "how could a mother forget her child?" My reply...EASY! Like I once did, you shop with your toddler strapped in the car seat. By the time you arrive at the Macy's stock up sale, your sweet child is sound asleep in the back of the van (the van with no air conditioning on a hot day mind you) and you are in "shop mode" with the list on your mind and no sound coming from the back seat. Because you are so focused on "the sale" and your list, and because it's been quiet in the backseat for so long (it took over ten minutes just to get to the store), you go straight to the stock up items in the parking lot and start shopping. TWENTY MINUTES LATER, as you are about to check out, you look at the front of your cart and realize MY CHILD IS IN THE CAR!!! You race to your hot little boy and hold him in your arms and leave behind the items you were going to buy and race him home and try to forgive yourself and thank God he's alive unlike so many others.