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Twist after baby girl dies in hot car during mum's grocery shop

A mother has denied leaving her infant child in a hot car, saying her daughter’s death was an “accident”.

The 10-month-old child has been identified by CBS6 as Lucinda Kaye Diaz, the youngest of the mother’s four children, from Virginia in the United States.

The child was reportedly left in the car on a day with temperatures above 30 degrees, however, the mother claims she did not leave her child in the car, in a car park while she went grocery shopping.

However, in a new twist, the mother who hasn’t been identified yet, claims she took the child with her in the grocery store, according to CBS6.

The mother claims she did leave the child in the car when she got to the family home, while she took the shopping from the car. She said while she did this the windows and doors of the car were open.

Richmond Police inspect the car in which Lucinda Kaye Diaz died. Her mother claims the death was an accident and she didn't leave the child in the car on the hot day.
Police inspect the crime scene, where a 10-month-old baby died. Source: CBS6 News

The mother also claims her daughter was “throwing a fit”, when the mother called her down and resumed unpacking the car.

Returning to the car she found her child unresponsive and called authorities. The child died on the way to the hospital, suffering a cardiac arrest.

Richmond Police are investigating the case and have not revealed whether charges will be made.

This year there have been 21 reported cases of paediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths, according to noheatstroke.org, an organisation that has been logging the children who die in cars since 1998.

Earlier this year, a 22-month-old died in a car in Western Sydney. The child may have been left in the car for up to two hours.

Temperatures reached 35 degrees in that area on the day in February.

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