A three-year-old child remains in critical condition after being found unresponsive inside a locked vehicle parked in the 300 block of New York Avenue on Sunday afternoon.
The DeLand Police Department arrested the caregiver, 27-year-old Latana Williams, on a charge of child neglect. According to investigators, emergency dispatchers began receiving 911 calls around 4:30 p.m. Police allege that Williams left the toddler alone inside the vehicle for approximately two hours while she went inside a nearby facility to donate plasma.
When officers arrived at the scene, a bystander was already performing CPR on the unresponsive child. First responders took over medical care and rushed the toddler to a nearby hospital, according to FOX 35.
Detectives are actively working to piece together the exact timeline of the incident. The DeLand Police Department has issued a public appeal for anyone who witnessed the event or has relevant information to contact them at 386-626-7400.
Williams was booked into custody on the neglect charge and is being held while the investigation continues.
The incident highlights the rapid speed at which parked vehicles reach dangerous temperatures. Data shows that 32 pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths occurred nationwide in 2025, closely trailing the national annual average of 37 deaths.
Safety experts note that on an 80-degree day, the interior temperature of a closed car can climb to 109 degrees within just 20 minutes.
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