A 29-year-old resident of Veyo, Utah, was charged with child abuse homicide and criminal negligence on Nov. 1 after her three-year-old son died in a hot car.
Fire, ambulance and police units found the toddler dead in a car seat after receiving a 911 call concerning an injured child on Sept. 1. First responders attempted CPR, but the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators questioned witnesses and the boy’s parents and found that the boy’s mother, Celine Ashley Switwick, had consistently been tasked with removing him from the car while her husband “routinely removed their older child” according to the charging documents.
This was supported by security camera footage of nearby stores the family had visited prior to the incident, as well as footage of their apartment building’s parking lot at 1 p.m. on the day of the death.
In the video, the father is seen gathering groceries and helping his older child up the stairs to their apartment before Switwick gets out of the car half a minute later. She is not seen helping the toddler out and walks past the car without the toddler accompanying her.
Over the next five hours before the boy was found, outside temperatures rose to 95 degrees while the car’s internal temperatures were estimated to reach 130 degrees.
Detectives said Switwick had opportunities to realize what had happened, like when she walked the family dog past the car, prepared lunch for her family or when her husband remarked on how long their toddler had been sleeping.
According to authorities, Switwick repeatedly said in an interview that she had forgotten to take her son out of the car, that it was her fault the death occurred and that she “deserved to be charged.”
“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is saddened that this tragic incident occurred and extends our deepest condolences to the family, friends and community this has affected,” authorities said.
According to Kids and Car Safety, nearly 40 children die in hot cars in the United States every year, or one every nine days.
Switwick is not in custody, but she has been issued a summons in conjunction with the charges and will appear at 5th District Court in St. George, Utah on Dec. 9.
Author: Payson Davis
Photo courtesy of Cody Blowers, St. George News
Editor: Hannah Clove
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