UPDATE: VALDOSTA — Valdosta Police have issued an arrest warrant related to the grandmother who left her grandchild in a car in a parking lot during sweltering conditions.
An arrest warrant was issued for Anissa Reaves, 43, for reckless conduct regarding the incident.
Tuesday afternoon, a citizen called 911 to report a child (reported to be 2-years old) had been left in a vehicle in the Walmart parking lot on Norman Drive in Valdosta.
Due to the extreme heat, the citizen took action and removed the child from the unlocked vehicle. The citizen then took the child inside the Walmart to the Customer Service Desk.
The police report stated that the small child appeared to be soaked with sweat but was alert. The grandmother of the child was located in the store. Her reasoning for leaving the child in the car was that he was asleep. She took a second grandchild into Walmart with her. She indicated to officers that she left the front windows cracked and the doors unlocked with the child sleeping inside.
Police reviewed security video, determining that the child had been left in the vehicle approximately 12 minutes before being removed from the car. The temperature Tuesday in Valdosta at that time was approximately 96 degrees with a heat index of 107, according to Lowndes County 911.
EMS was called in to medically check out the child. The child was then transported to SGMC to be evaluated for dehydration.
The mother of the child, who was at work, was contacted and taken to SGMC to be with her child. Lowndes County Department of Family and Children Services was notified about the incident. The child was released to his mother’s care after treatment at the hospital.
The case is being investigated and charges are expected to be filed against the grandmother for reckless endangerment. At the time of this report, the arrest warrant has not yet been completed.
Authorities applauded the quick, logical thinking of the concerned citizen, stating that it was instrumental in keeping this child from suffering serious medical complications.
In this extreme heat, people or pets should not be left in a vehicle for even a short period of time. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can happen quickly with deadly results.
