Although most caregivers think they will never forget a young child in a car, it happens more often than people might think. Roughly 38 children die in hot cars each year in the US, according to Kids and Car Safety. And recently, a Louisiana mom was charged after she “inadvertently left” her 10-month-old in a vehicle while working her fast food job.
Hannah Faith Cormier, 32, of Jennings, Louisiana, allegedly left her baby girl in a car for several hours in August. Tragically, her daughter died from complications related to heat stroke. In late October, Cormier entered a plea related to the negligent homicide charge against her.
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On October 28, the Louisiana mom entered a not guilty plea after being charged with negligent homicide.
On August 18, Cormier was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and cruelty to juveniles after her daughter’s death; her bond was set at $1 million. A grand jury ultimately indicted Cormier on one count of negligent homicide on October 2, KPLC reported.
She was released on a $10,000 bond on October 16 after the charges were reduced. On October 28, Cormier entered a not guilty plea in court, American Press reported.
She allegedly forgot her daughter in a hot car on August 13 while working at a fast food restaurant.
Cormier’s daughter died after she “inadvertently left” her in a hot vehicle, the Jennings Police Department noted in a news release shared via Facebook on August 14. Cormier told police she was called in to work and did not mean to leave her daughter in the car while she was inside working at the restaurant. The 10-month-old allegedly was in the vehicle for approximately90 minutes.
Reportedly, the 10-month-old's body temperature was 109 degrees.
The girl’s body temperature was 109 degrees after she was discovered in the hot car, according to police, per American Press. On that day, the temperature outside was in the 90s. Staff at a nearby hospital obtained a pulse but the child was in critical condition. Later, the little girl died from heat stroke, police said, per the Associated Press.
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Meanwhile, it was potentially at least 120 degrees inside the car.
Shortly after the hot car death, Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes explained just how hot it was inside the vehicle. “We’ll have to do some type of reenactment if possible to try and determine what the temperature in the car was,” he said in August, according to KPLC. “But our initial estimates were in excess of 120 degrees.”
Police expressed condolences about the situation.
“It’s a tragic situation,” Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes told KATC in August. “My heart goes out to the baby and the family.”
Cormier is due back in court in March 2025 for a pre-trial conference. At that time, a trial will likely be scheduled, per the Associated Press.
