Regardless of what charges are brought against this mother, if any, there is no punishment that would be worse that what she'll inflict on herself. Can you imagine how painful it would be to know you're the reason your baby died.

They can charge her with whatever they want, but I'm sure she's already going through her own personal hell.

I really hope they don't file charges.

I don't care what pain this woman may or may not already feel...she forgot that her child was in the car...period! That by itself questions her motherhood and deserves punishment.

where is the obituary published?

This just has sad all over it. Part of me says yeah it might be good not to file charges. The other half says put her behind bars. She neglected a child to the point of death. How is that ok?

I guess I am just hyper-protective, but I just don't understand how this happens. I watch my babies so closely, that my house is a mess. My mom keeps telling me to just work and let them play, but I never can. I need to know what they are doing, all the time. Maybe that will change when they get older. I am just horrified by this, and even more so that it keeps happening, every summer. I just don't understand how you forget you have your baby with you, and how you go in and leave that baby out in the car.

She needs to be held accountable for her negligence. Of course the loss of a child is sad, but she is the reasoning behind it. She just can't get away with murder, even if she is too stupid to remember that child she carried for nine months and caused all that pain coming out, oh and probably gave her lack of sleep for the 6 months. If they don't charge her, she needs to be part of a parenting awareness course for teenagers and others at the very least.

How can one "forget" their child? I don't understand this...

Will Parents ever learn?

Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Clearfield LDS 9th Ward, 838 E. 600 South, Clearfield. He is survived by his mother, his father, Brian Scott Hadley, and two older brothers.

The mother and her family have already suffered enough. She doesn't need to be "taught a lesson" by the letter-of-the-law haters. Criminal charges would be a worthless waste of time and money.

Show a little charity and leave her alone to grieve and heal with her family.

"He who is without sin"......
I am so thankful I do not have to make such a hard decision as to decide if a mother will be taken from a family because she caused the death of one of her other children.

I pray her husband, children and family may be a great support to her and that friends and family will support her - even though they do not understand.

Good luck to her husband. He will need it.

My heart goes out to this family, it really does. To hear of these kinds of things really breaks my heart. But, how do you FORGET about a child in a car?
Wow.
God bless this woman and her family in this time of need.

This story happens every year, except a different situation, and we have got to learn. The boy who fell at the school, we know that these kinds of action can be fatal, but they still happen. People drink and drive every day, they talk on the cell phone, holding it to their ear every minute of the day. How many of us do that, yet that too is a irresponsible action that can prove fatal. My heart goes out to that mother, I can't comprehend her pain and guilt. I hope that we all start to be more aware of our actions that are unsafe to ourselves and others. I am sure all of us are not in a position to cast the first stone and all I can say is I hope we all try harder.

Each time this happens I try to understand "Why" and the question is never answered. How can anyone "forget" a child in the car???????

This family will anquish the rest of their life. I just thank God that I have not had this experience.
They will need loving hands to encircle them.

I have seen this many times (as many of you have...) - the parent stops at someones house to say hello or drop something off, and the conversation gets longer and longer and longer...very few intentionally leave their children in the car in heat like this, but many of those who are posting "why" have most likely done it at some point in time or another. Wrong? Yes. Intent to harm? I feel safe in saying no (most of the time). Sad and worth remembering the next time "you are just running in real quick" or "stopping by for a sec"? Absolutely.

Either leave the car running with A/C or take the child with us, even if only for a moment "pop-in". My heart goes out to her and her entire family.

Lat thought -let's please be careful not to be too critical of something I have seen hundreds of times in our own communities - we just got lucky that the people we stopped to see weren't that interested in inviting us in.

Any number of negligent behaviors resulting in harm or death to another human being are illegal according to our laws. Would we absolve the responsibility for killing this child so quickly if the responsible party was a babysitter? No, in that case there would be a unanimous call for justice. And to say that everyone is subject to the same kind of stupidity as this mother is to argue her innocence without evidence. Feel sorry for her if you must, but she is still accountable for the negligent death of her own child.

Just ask yourself, what would the Saviour do or say?
He would wrap His arms around her and LOVE her and and immediately forgive her. He has taken that little child unto Himself. He is safe, and now His worry is with the Mother. Will she be safe and now the test is with us. . . are we going to be forgiving and loving, and KIND and compassionate. Let us not forget what He has taught us.

I don't recall ever forgetting my babies.

I might have once been one of those who asked "how do you forget your child?", but a couple of years ago this happened to me - ran a quick errand later in the evening. My daughter-at that time 2 1/2 years old- was strapped in her car seat and asleep by the time I got home. Got busy carrying in things from the car and forgot all about her. Luckily for me, it was evening, not hot, not cold and she was fine (if darn mad) when she woke up a couple of hours later. Her older sister heard her cry and all ended well, but I still haven't gotten over the fact that I completely forgot her. That's why I won't judge this young mom, but instead will pray for her and her family. No punishment that anyone could dream up could be harder on her than what she is already going through and will have to live with the rest of her life. Please people! No matter how much moms love their kids, they are NOT PERFECT!!! They have to juggle so much, physically and mentally in caring for kids, please give her a break!

I agree with Victor. There would be torches and public outcry if it were a babysitter. But the child's own parent?? As a father I simply cannot understand how you forget such a young child in a hot car for HOURS.

I have never left my babies alone in a hot car, but I too made a horrible error in judgement that almost caused my son his life. He had appendicitis and we were treating it as the flu. By the time we got him into the hospital he was vomiting blood. He spent 2 weeks in the hospital, 3 of those in intensive care. He was 4 at the time and is now 11 with no lasting effects of this horrible ordeal but I am still haunted with images of him suffering. I doubt I will ever be able to forgive myself. I will pray for this woman. Don't prosecute her, she will prosecute herself.

Thank God this has never happened to me.

The kids are the backseat, they fall asleep, we do an errand that we normally don't take the child on and it's way too easy to forget that they are in the car. We are creatures of habit, we just leave the car and go into the market, work, etc.... when it's not a normal occurance for us to have them with us. The problem is, that it's not just the moms and dads and babysitters who foolishly leave the child on purpose in the car to run in real quick.... Unfortunately sometimes it really is accidental.

Take a look at your car from the outside, with tinted windows to prevent glare we can't even tell someone is in the backseat most the time. Thereby a child going longer unnoticed in your work or supermarket parking lot. I won't feel safe from this until my child is old enough to get himself out of the seat belt and open the door. Then there will be other dangers.

RE: Charity | 10:56 a.m. June 23, 2008

This mother has suffered, but the boy is dead. If she only gets a slap on the wrist then others might think "I can run in really fast, and be right out." And again this might happen. Whereas is she goes to jail maybe the thought can be "I better bring him with me." If she was driving drunk, crashed and killed her son what would you say then? I'm sure she would still have the same guilt to live with, but most if not all you would be screaming with rage.
If you have a child, think of when they smile..... Now imagine never seeing that again. She must be held accountable for what she has done! I know I could never forgive myself for something like this. I hope she can.

I just have to 2nd the comment about what would the Saviour do. It is SO true that we all so quickly cast stones... when we need to show charity and compassion. We are not the ones to judge what happened - only to open our hearts and do what we can to support those who are suffering in our community.

To: Victor Evans

For your sake, I just hope you're never responsible for a forgetful act that causes serious injury or death.

It doesn't matter whether it's a babysitter, a parent, or any other caregiver, children often became victims of accidents.

Society has a responsibility to protect children from intentional neglect that causes them harm, but people like you need to learn how discern simple forgetfulness (which everyone has from time to time) and willful neglect.

In this case, true justice demands mercy, not punishment.

First of all I know I would never forget my child. If I have to leave them in the car to run in the house for a moment, the AC is on and the door is locked.

But, it bugs me that people are saying she should go to jail. She clearly isn't doing the public any harm by not being in jail. But by prosecuting her and putting her in jail, it is costing us taxpayers THOUSANDS!!

Save our money. She is already putting herself through hell I am sure.

Please DON'T follow the advice of "How it happens" and leave the car running with the A/C on -- that's the other unfortunate story we see repeated on the news: Child (inadvertently) kidnapped when car is stolen.

I'm glad you never fogot your baby, how many times have any of us forgotten something though. I know this is terrible, it is serious, it does not get worse than this, to loose a child is the very worst death you can experience. To have this be the result of a forgetful moment is horrific, but we all forget things at one time or another, this mother has to live with the worst possible nightmare. I pray for her, unless she did this on purpose, she already has enough punishment, no more is needed. I agree with anonymous, it probably is a test for us, and to sisterfrommich, God has blessed you with a perfect memory I hope you Thank Him everyday.

Yes, Lets add insult to injury? Guess what? Everything bad that happens is not a crime. There is such a thing as an accident.

I hope you are judged by the same measure that you judge this mother in mourning.

runnerboy3118 - Fantastic point. I think people have expressed sympathy towards the mother and suggested a tone of forgiveness, and I agree.

However, there is also accountability. I don't think anyone knows the particulars of what happened other than the mother, and it's up to the D.A to file charges or not. I hope that no matter what justice is served, which could include no criminal charges at all. If the mother truly just had an accident, and there was no negligence or intent involved then I surely hope that it's refelected as such. I also hope that if she WAS negligent then she goes to prison.

My prayers are with that family, and I hope the right decision is made.

Yes the lady left her kid in the car and deserves some kind of punishment for it even if it means her just going to the parenting classes or something that will make her a better person and more aware of her responsibilities. jail might be too strong of a punishment. However, how one can forget that they put the kid in the car is beyond me. Even if they are being quiet. I mean you have to see the kid back there at some point as you are checking mirrors and blindspots while driving so you should get that refresher every so often that the kid is there even if they are being quiet. Every summer this happens at least 3 or 4 times and you would think people would learn to be more aware just from others mistakes. my heart and prayers are with this family.

Ya know, all of the people who say she needs to be charged probably complain about taxes all the time too. This woman made a mistake, an terrible mistake! She is not a danger to society. She will NEVER forget any of her children again. It would cost tax payer to keep her in jail to "punish her" and then there would be 2 more children left without a mother. Believe me there is no punishment that can be given to her worse than what she will do to herself. But that is not enough for you, lets punish the 2 boys left behind and take their mother from them too. I have made mistakes, we all have. I thank God that none of mine have been this big, but she didn't mean for this to happen. We need to have compassion, not anger. Anger is for the parents who abuse their children with intent to harm. You say if a babysitter did this it would be different, no it wouldn't, it comes down to intentions.

A crime has been committed. What we need here is justice for the child. Give her and anybody else that think they can run in quickly a reason to think twice. And those how can't remember a reason to remember. This makes me so mad that people don't want this Mother to pay for what she has done. Accidents HAPPEN, meaning "To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction." It’s the laws of motion. I see no reason to let her off, 30 minutes... ok. An hour.... no. 2 hours, how does a mother of three forget a 6 month old in the car while at a friend’s house? Did the friend never bring up the kids in the conversation? Great now I'm yelling in my mind. Anybody with a child should feel sorry for the lady, but they should feel for the child more.

The woman's negligence killed this baby.
A trial and sentencing will provide many opportunities for more stories to remind other parents.
According to the statistics in the article Utah has 20% of all such deaths in the entire nation so far this year- it would be a travesty not to take action.
It must have been a terrible way to die.
While we're at it Utah should finally pass a law that prohibits leaving children in a vehicle.
It's overdue.

She lost a child because of a forgetful act. You don't think she will remember that until her dying day?

How on earth will sending her to jail help her or anyone else who learns of this story "remember" not ever to forget their children?

Anyone here who thinks that justice will be served by punishing this mother more really needs to take a close look in the mirror to remove that beam from their eye, before seeking to remove the mote from this mother's eye.

Justice in this case might be a course in parenting and probation. If this woman has other children is it justice to remove her from the home? Of course, it depends on the circumstances, that's usually why we wait for the facts to be gathered from the investigation and learn if charges are warranted or not.

Comfort and peace to all involved.

How old is this mother? Are we so concerned about the things we THINK we need to do that we forget the things that are NEEDFUL? Everyone, me included, need to stop and think about what we are doing--are these things so necessary to our lives that we are neglectful of the really IMPORTANT things--like a small, innocent, helpless baby in the back seat of a car on a very hot day? Our lives seem to be so harried and hurried these days. Is this REALLY necessary? If we think these things are THAT important then I think more things like this are going to happen. That's sad to say.

I'm sure this mother will regret this neglectful act the rest of her life and beyond.

People make stupid decisions all the time that put other people at risk. Thankfully, most of the time, nothing comes of them. Just because you have never left your kid in the car doesn't mean that you've never been negligent. Ever drive over the speed limit with your kids in the car? Back out of your driveway without first making sure there are no children nearby? Ever leave the front door unlocked in your house with a toddler running around that just figured out how to open doors? Leave some medicine on the counter with the lid off? Leave to stove on? You think we should all go to jail for these things?

Accidents happen. I hope this lady can someday forgiver herself.

Let's not forget that regardless of what we all think should happen, this poor innocent child is dead! Not because of an accident it's because of plain old stupidity! I'm sorry but he didn't put himself in the carseat and for all those who are quick to say this will haunt her for the rest of her life, you are absolutely right it will. However if we keep thinking this will be a lesson to the rest of us, why wasn't it a lesson to her when the child from Kearns died earlier this year? It is not our job to decide her fate, but if she would have run over my child on 'accident' or ran a red light and killed one of your children or loved ones. Would it still be an accident? Would you still feel the same? Or is it ok for her not to be punished because it doesn't affect you? I hope the law is fair to her but I hope they are fair to the child as well.

Sue, you have to understand that if charges ARE filed it would be to serve the interests of the deceased child.

If she had intentionally killed that child would you make that same remark? Let her go to be a mother to the other two children? What if she passed out? Should she still have custody of the other two? Would you place those children into a home with a negligent mother? I am of course generalizing with that statement.

I had a time when my son (who is now almost 4) just learned to walk and I went into another room to grab something, and didn't notice that he had walked out the door. (Clever boy learned how to unlock the door.) I never panicked so much in my life, and thank GOODNESS that with a neighbor's helped we found him on the other side of the building where we lived.

If charges are filed, then she will be put in front a jury of her peers, and then it'll be determined she was negligent or if this was an accident. My personal opinion is that whatever happens that the outcome reflects the truth, and justice is served.

When my mother was pregnant with her fifth child, she was hit by a semi- and suffered from it for some time with head trauma. After the baby was born, I was 10 yo, my father would go to work and tell me to look after the baby. I was kept home from school for awhile, after my grandmother left, to help take care of the baby.
      I remember how frequently each day my mother forgot she had a new baby. She would panic, and ask where the baby was (in his crib, in the car with us, on a brother's shoulders, in the stroller you are pushing) and she’d cry, even though he was always okay. It was awful seeing her suffer.
      I feel so sorry for this mother. I know what panic looks like, but here the outcome was tragic. We, mothers, are expected to do so much - pay bills, clean house, bath and feed our children, be a loving wife, try to help ends meet - with so little help. Where some of you would NEVER forget, perhaps....but you better watch your judgment...we all misjudge things at time...and I feel this is one of them.

Re: Belgie - - -
If, when we do these things, they result in the death of someone then, yes, we should go to jail.

This news made me cry, and my heart goes out to the mother. While I have not left my children in the car, I too, like so many others, admit to being distracted at other times -- what a wakeup call! I am grateful that nothing happened to my children in those instances.

I am glad for the tone of compassion in many of these comments. The decision whether to prosecute is tough. I wonder, though, if public sentiment would be different if the mother had left her baby in the car in a public place, i.e. a parking lot, and the baby had been discovered by a stranger.

I can hardly imagine a worse pain

I just don't get the argument for prosecution: "A little jail time will be a warning to others to not forget their children," or some such. What a ridiculous proposition. How about this for greater impact: "If you leave your child in the car, THEY WILL DIE!"? I know which one is the more grim deterrent for me.
Putting this mother in jail will NOT teach her or others a greater lesson, it will NOT protect society from harm, and it will NOT bring her baby back to life, but it WILL rob her other two innocent children of their never-again-to-be-forgetful mother and it WILL impose a great and unnecessary expense on the taxpayers of Utah.
The great thing about justice is that it has the ability to bow to common sense.

I hope the family and all of us can forgive. May the mother know that many of us feel at least some of her pain. Please don't give up on your life and in time you will find a way to begin to forgive yourself.

I think I'm less tolerant of crime (even negligent crime) than everyone I know. But, reading some of these comments, I'm amazed at how heartless and vindictive people can be. It's incredible.

Any resources spent prosecuting this poor lady would be much better spent educating the public.

to all of you asking for compassion. would you be asking for compassion if a babysitter left YOUR kid in the car in a hot day and your kid had died? would you stil consider that an accicent? wouldn't you think the babysitter feel guilty enough the rest of her/his life for you to press charges against her/him?