A 25-year-old mom pleaded guilty to a single felony abuse charge after her 20-month-old daughter died from being left in a hot car in August 2019. Pricilla Marquez Harris is now awaiting her sentencing.
According to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, Harris will be sentenced on April 6 to 10 years in prison after her daughter, Scarlett Grace Harris died on August 5, 2019, People reports. At the time, Harris had initially reported her daughter missing, but called 911 for a second time shortly thereafter to report her daughter had been found.
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She told the operator she found Scarlett inside her car which was parked outside of her Tierrasanta, California home. She reported that her daughter was unresponsive and not breathing after being found. According to The Epoch Times, temperatures reached 75-degrees that day in San Diego.
Harris told police that she had taken an anti-depressant and fallen asleep. When she awoke around midday, she was unable to locate her daughter. Paramedics attempted to revive Scarlett when they arrived at the house, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
San Diego police arrested Harris last September after they had conducted an investigation. Two adults were also taken from the residence and treated for suspected overdoses just two days later. However, police say Harris was not involved.
In 2019, 53 children died after being left in a hot car. In 2018, 54 children died and in 2017, 43 children died, according to Kids and Cars. The average number of child vehicular heatstroke deaths each year is 39, that’s one death every nine days.
As Kids and Cars reports, “over 940 children have died in hot cars nationwide since 1990. Even the best of parents or caregivers can unknowingly leave a sleeping baby in a car, and the end result can be injury or even death.”
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