Mother Charged with Second-Degree Murder After Baby Perishes In Scalding Hot Car

It can be a challenge to find a topic that most people can agree on in this day and age, but most will concede that this summer has been exceedingly hot in Louisiana, around the United States, and even all over the world. We’ve gone to the pool, the lake, the beach, or just stayed indoors and blasted our air conditioning units in order to beat the heat.

Not all of us have the ability to transport ourselves to cooler locations, however. For example, a six-month-old baby is pretty much relegated to whichever location it finds itself in. When that’s a turned off car without running air conditioning or any open windows, things can quickly turn dangerous.

That’s what happened to an infant on August 14, when mother Ivy L. Lee allegedly left her child in her SUV for over five hours. That afternoon, Lee flagged-down an off-duty deputy to report that the baby was not breathing. That deputy and an on-duty deputy tried to resuscitate the baby. The baby was then transported to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead. 

According to reports, Lee gave law enforcement two different stories about the baby in her vehicle. She initially stated that she left the car running with the air conditioning on with the child inside while she went to work. She further said that one of her coworkers (who presumably didn’t know there was a child in the car) reminded Lee that her car was running, which was visible from her place of employment. Lee allegedly then turned off her car.

Lee has been booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center and faces charges of second degree murder. She was also charged with possession of marijuana. 

This is a heartbreaking turn of events, and oftentimes people who aren’t able to help themselves are left in perilous positions. The Johnson Law Firm serves as a trusted resource to help anyone in need, and can be reached at (337) 433-1414.