Rachel Vanwagner has been charged with child abuse and neglect. (Shelby County Sheriff's Office)
A Memphis, Tennessee mom has been accused of leaving her baby in a hot car while she went inside a restaurant to take part in National Tequila Day festivities on Tuesday, authorities said.
The mother, later identified as 26-year-old Rachel Vanwagner, allegedly went inside Cazadores Mexican Grill in Arlington while her baby remained in the car in the restaurant's parking lot.
Authorities were called after people in the lot heard the baby crying, NBC12 reported.
When Shelby County sheriff’s deputies arrived, they reportedly found the baby in the backseat of the car, which was not on. The windows were slightly rolled down and the car’s doors were unlocked.
Temperatures around 7 p.m. that day, when the incident occured, were nearly 95 degrees, NBC12 reported, though the temperature inside the car was likely hotter.
The baby was removed from the car and examined by first responders, the news station reported. Around that same time, Vanwagner reportedly ran out of the restaurant without any shoes, telling deputies she had been in the restaurant for roughly 30 minutes to “have one drink,” according to the news station.
Vanwagner was arrested and later charged with child abuse and neglect, NBC12 reported.
The child is now staying with relatives, according to WREG, which added that the state's Department of Child Services has been notified.
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