A toddler tragically died after his mom left him for more than fourteen hours in a hot car... all so she could attend a party with her friends.
This is both heartbreaking and infuriating...
Do you know when they say you must never leave a dog in a hot car with the windows up?
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Well, the same applies to human beings!
Did you know that within just 1 hour of being parked on a hot day, a car can reach temperatures of up to 116 degrees Fahrenheit?
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And every year in the United States, an average of thirty-seven children die after being left in hot cars, according to researchers of a new study, published online in the journal Temperature.Of course, most of these tragic incidents occur as accidents...
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But more than often, they could have easily been prevented.And this brings us to today's tragic story.
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A toddler has lost his life after his mom left him in a hot car all alone... so she could go and party with her friends.Twenty-one-year-old Ashley Howard, who's from Montana, was the mom to 2-year-old Caleb Hopkins.
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In 2018, the Billings Gazette reported that Ashley left Caleb in her car on the evening of June 25th, 2018.Authorities confirmed that Ashley spent the evening "partying with her friends."
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She spent the next day sleeping off a hangover and she didn't think to go and check on her little boy until 1 pm the next day on June 26th.The sun was shining on the vehicle for more than 8 hours...
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And when Ashley finally returned, she found Caleb wrapped up in a blanket unconscious.The hungover mom took her boy into the local hospital...
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And he was soon airlifted to a hospital in Billings, where he spent his final hours on life support.But just 2 days later...
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Caleb tragically died from hyperthermia, which was ultimately caused by overheating.When Caleb's death was reported in the news, people were left heartbroken...
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And a lot of anger was felt toward Ashley and her incompetence as a mother.
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Ashley's trial wrapped up earlier this week.
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According to KULR-TV, prosecutors noted at the sentencing that Ashley had never taken responsibility for what happened to Caleb.Ashley then addressed the court prior to learning her sentence.
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"I struggle with saying that I killed my son," she explained, "because nobody wants to be the reason their son is no longer here. I miss him every day. I know that I will always love my son and I will always miss him."Caleb's grandmother, Marsha Hopkins, also spoke at the hearing.
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"You will have to live with the fact that you alone killed Caleb," Marsha said in her admonishment. "Do I think that you meant to? No. Do I think that you could have prevented it? Absolutely. You knew what could have happened if you left him in the car, and you made that choice."Ashley was ultimately sentenced to twenty years in prison...
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And upon her release, she will spend 10 years on parole.Rest in Peace, Caleb.
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We hope that this is the justice that he and his family deserves. Keep on reading for another tragic story where a dad allowed his toddler to die in a hot car in order to not smash the window of his "new car"...