A 19-year-old Texas mom of two girls made the tragic choice to leave them in a hot car overnight while she partied in a nearby shed, even engaging in sexual activity in the morning, prior to checking on them the next day. When she found them unresponsive, she began to weave a web of lies, trying to exculpate herself from any liability.

According to police reports, Amanda Hawkins intentionally left her two daughters, Brynn Hawkins, 1, and Addyson Overgard-Eddy, 2, in a car overnight on June 7, 2017, while she partied with friends in a nearby shed. Temperatures in the area reached near 90 degrees.

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The day after partying in the shed, prosecutors claim Hawkins awoke at noon, had sex, and then went out to check on the girls. When she found them unresponsive, she tried to revive them by using cool water on their bodies, but it was too late for that. She drove them to a nearby hospital and lied to the medical staff, telling them that the girls had passed out after smelling some flower at a nearby lake.

In the U.S. approximately 36 children die every year from being left in a hot car. That’s about one every 10 days. Almost all of these cases are unintentional. There is no safe amount of time to leave any child in a car alone. California law allows for children under the age of six to be left in a car with no adult, so long as they are supervised by someone twelve years of age or older, BUT never when there are conditions that present a significant risk to their health. And the law can find a way to prove these conditions are almost always in existence.

If you or someone you love has been charged with leaving a child in a car, contact a local criminal defense attorney at once. This is a serious charge, and one that can carry a stiff sentence without the aid of a lawyer.

Related Resources:

  • Find a Criminal Defense Lawyer Near You (FindLaw’s Lawyer Directory)
  • Mom Guilty of Murder After Son Dies in Hot Car (FindLaw Blotter)
  • Leaving Kids in a Cold Car Can Get You Arrested (FindLaw Blotter)

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