A 6-year-old girl died after being left inside a bus linked to a daycare in Cordova, Tennessee, amid temperatures that reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius).
The victim was identified as Winter Jones, who had non-verbal autism. According to her family, the minor could not communicate verbally to ask for help.
Memphis Police responded to Kid University Children's Center around 3:23 p.m. Thursday after receiving a report about a girl who needed medical attention, according to local media.
Winter was taken to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Authorities have not announced any arrests and are keeping the investigation open to determine how the minor ended up staying inside the bus for several hours.
“She couldn't say she was still on the bus.”
Christopher Jones, the girl's uncle, explained that Winter had a regular transportation routine between daycare and Macon-Hall Elementary School.
The minor was taken by bus from Kid University to school and later returned to the children's center at the end of her school day.
However, on Thursday, according to his family, something went wrong.
“She never entered school,” Jones said in statements to local media.
The uncle explained that no one noticed that Winter was still inside the bus until the vehicle was again used to pick up other students.
“No one knew he was still on the bus until they got back on the bus and got ready to go pick up the students from school,” he said.
Jones, who also has a 6-year-old son with non-verbal autism, noted that Winter's condition made it especially difficult for him to alert anyone to his situation.
"I couldn't open my mouth and say, 'Hey, I'm still on the bus,' or anything. None of that," he said.
The heat inside the bus could have been extreme
The tragedy occurred during a day of high temperatures in Memphis and its surroundings.
The outside temperature reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit, about 36 degrees Celsius, according to weather reports cited in the case information.
The interior of a closed vehicle can reach temperatures considerably higher than the ambient temperature, especially when it is exposed to the sun and with the doors and windows closed.
Winter's father, Bryan Jones, said his daughter's internal temperature had reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit, about 43 degrees Celsius, when she was found.
The authorities have yet to determine the exact circumstances that caused the death of the minor and establish the corresponding responsibilities.
The driver was found crying
A woman who works near Kid University said she heard someone screaming at the facility after the girl was located.
Shabnam Manhas said she went to find out what was happening and found a woman on the ground, crying uncontrollably.
“I was on the floor just crying a lot,” Manhas said. According to the report, the woman was the driver of the bus in which Winter was found.
The identity of the driver has not been released.
