MARANA, AZ — A child is dead after being found "unresponsive" inside a vehicle in Marana.
Just after 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Marana Police Department was alerted about a child in distress in a residential area of the community northwest of Tucson.
Police and crews with the Northwest Fire District performed life-saving measures while the child was rushed to a hospital. The child was later pronounced dead.
According to Marana PD officials, the two-year-old girl's father said he arrived at their home and didn't want to wake the sleeping girl, so he left her in the car for about 30 minutes to an hour before she was found unresponsive.
The dad reported he left the car running with the AC on while he went inside but when he returned the car was off.
Marana PD says the child's mother was not initially home, but shortly after she arrived, the girl was discovered in the vehicle. The mother immediately began CPR on her daughter and 911 was called.
During an investigation, detectives obtained a search warrant and obtained video surveillance from nearby residences. They discovered the girl had been in the vehicle for approximately three hours.
The temperature in Marana during the time of the incident was around 110º.
On Friday, police arrested the 37-year-old father and booked him into the Pima County Adult Detention Center for second-degree murder and child abuse charges.
