St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana — A 32-year-old man is accused of leaving his young daughter in a hot car for more than nine hours, killing her.
According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, on June 8, shortly before noon, deputies responded to a home after a family member discovered the 21-month-old victim unresponsive.
Following further investigation, officials discovered that Joseph Boatman went to pick up his daughter at a relative’s house shortly after 2:30 a.m. Boatman allegedly strapped her into a car seat and went back inside the house, never returning to the car.
According to the sheriff’s office, before picking up his daughter, Boatman “consumed multiple alcoholic beverages.”
Boatman was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on a charge of second-degree murder. His bond amount was set at $750,000.
In a statement, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith said, “This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to experience. When a child is left in a vehicle, particularly on a day when the heat index exceeds 100 degrees, the consequences can be fatal in minutes. This case involved a compromised judgment, and the outcome was heartbreaking.
