Photo: click2houston.com
Most parents know that leaving a child unattended for only 10 minutes can have unexpected consequences. While various organizations warn never to leave children unsupervised inside a locked car, one father did just that – and the consequences were terrible.
Adrian Dreshuan Middleton, 26, from Houston, has been charged with abandoning a child, after a terrible incident that happened in the parking lot of a local thrift store in May this year. His 6-year-old daughter strangled her 1-year-old brother with the seatbelt, after Middleton left the two unsupervised while he shopped.
Initially, Middleton told the police that he was only gone for about 30 to 40 minutes and that he kept checking on the kids through the store window, ABC6 reports. He also claimed both children were safely strapped in their carseats, and that they had the AC on, a movie on, water and food at their disposal.
A later investigation revealed that he was gone from the car for 1 hour and 40 minutes, and that both children were on the backseat. There was no carseat in sight.
The daughter played with her baby brother for a while, but he started crying and became fussy when she stopped. She got angry and wanted him to be quiet, so she wrapped the seatbelt around him. When he stopped crying, she assumed he had fallen asleep.
In Middleton’s initial talk with the police, he said he found the girl crying when he came back to the car. She told him she had been to the restroom and admitted to having done “something bad.” The baby was unresponsive.
Middleton performed CPR while he waited to the ambulance, but it was too late. The child was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. An autopsy established that his death was homicide by strangulation.
Because of her age, the 6-year-old girl is not facing any charges. She is currently living with her grandmother, the report notes.
Initially, Middleton told the police that he was only gone for about 30 to 40 minutes and that he kept checking on the kids through the store window, ABC6 reports. He also claimed both children were safely strapped in their carseats, and that they had the AC on, a movie on, water and food at their disposal.
A later investigation revealed that he was gone from the car for 1 hour and 40 minutes, and that both children were on the backseat. There was no carseat in sight.
The daughter played with her baby brother for a while, but he started crying and became fussy when she stopped. She got angry and wanted him to be quiet, so she wrapped the seatbelt around him. When he stopped crying, she assumed he had fallen asleep.
In Middleton’s initial talk with the police, he said he found the girl crying when he came back to the car. She told him she had been to the restroom and admitted to having done “something bad.” The baby was unresponsive.
Middleton performed CPR while he waited to the ambulance, but it was too late. The child was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. An autopsy established that his death was homicide by strangulation.
Because of her age, the 6-year-old girl is not facing any charges. She is currently living with her grandmother, the report notes.
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