Police: Foster parent of SC child who died in hot car thought she dropped him off at day care

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WYFF) - Police are releasing new details about a 3-year-old who died in a hot car Wednesday in Spartanburg.

Police said they were called to a home just before 6 p.m. on North Lanford Road.

Coroner Rusty Clevenger said a 3-year-old boy was found dead in a car.

Clevenger said a preliminary investigation autopsy revealed the boy’s death to be heat-related. He said he doesn’t know how long the child was in the car unsupervised, but it could have been multiple hours.

Police said the foster parent thought she dropped off the child at day care with her other children and failed to realize the child did not go inside until she found him in the rear of her SUV.

Police said the woman called 911 when she found the boy in the car.

Police said the parent and first responders tried to revive the child but the child could not be saved.

Investigators are calling this an accidental heat-related child death.

The name of the child will not be released until the parents can be notified.