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2nd Hot Car Death In FL Reported

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
KidsAndCars.org
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

An 18-month-old girl has died after her mother inadvertently left her in the back seat of the car while she went inside to teach at a Panama City elementary school.

It's at least the third hot car death of 2015 in the U.S., and the second reported in Florida. 

Authorities say the Jamie Buckley didn't discover her daughter, Reagan, until the end of the school day Tuesday. Bay County Sheriff's deputies found Reagan unresponsive when they arrived. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies say the child had been inside the car, which was parked outside Cedar Grove Elementary School since before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Temperatures in the area rose to 83 degrees Tuesday.

Authorities have not said whether charges will be filed against the mother.

According to KidsAndCars.org, at least 694 children have died from heatstroke in vehicles in the United States over the past 20 years.

Florida ranks the 2nd highest state with the most child vehicular heatstroke deaths with a total of 91 fatalities since 1992.