9-month-old boy dies in backseat of hot car after parent forgets daycare drop-off

A 9-month-old baby boy was found dead in the backseat of a hot car by his parent who forgot to take the child to daycare that morning, according to authorities.

The boy was left in the vehicle for hours before his parent found him around 5:46 p.m. on Tuesday, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

The baby's parent did not realize their child was in the blazing hot car until they went to the boy's daycare after work and he was not there, the sheriff's office said.

The temperature hit a high of 94 degrees in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, according to Weather Underground.

The investigation into the child's death is ongoing. The coroner is conducting an autopsy on the boy to determine how long he was in the car, according to the sheriff's office.

It is unclear if the child's parent has been charged.

More than half of hot-car deaths involve parent forgetting child

More than 960 children have died from vehicular heatstroke since 1998 - an average of 37 per year - and 53% of incidents involve a parent or caregiver forgetting the child was in the vehicle, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).

Temperatures inside vehicles can reach life-threatening levels even on mild or cloudy days, the NSC said.

"Children should never be left unattended or be able to get inside a vehicle," the nonprofit and public service organization said.

According to the NSC, the three primary circumstances resulting in children dying in hot cars are:

• A caregiver forgets a child in a vehicle
• The child gains access to the vehicle
• Someone knowingly leaves a child in the vehicle

To avoid leaving children in the car, the NSC advises parents and caregivers to "stick to a routine and avoid distractions," place an item in the backseat that is too important to forget, keep doors locked at all times and teach children that "cars are not play areas."

"There is no safe amount of time to leave a child in a vehicle, even if you are just running a quick errand," the nonprofit said.