Infant Found Dead in Texas After Being Accidentally Left in Sweltering Car
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An infant was found dead in a sweltering vehicle outside a small-town city hall Tuesday after being left there by one of the town's reserve police officers, authorities said.
Officer Kevin Petty parked his truck Tuesday morning and drove a police car to a law-enforcement class in another town. About 3:20 p.m., he contacted Lindale police in a panic and said he did not recall taking his infant to day care, Justice of the Peace James R. Cowart told The Associated Press.
Petty's 5-month-old daughter was discovered dead inside the truck, Cowart said. Temperatures in the east Texas community climbed to 102 degrees during the day, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.
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An autopsy was being conducted.
A Lindale police spokesman referred questions about the case to the Smith County Sheriff's Department. A message left for an investigator by The Associated Press was not immediately returned Tuesday.
Lindale, which has about 3,000 residents, is 82 miles southeast of Dallas.