A Florida couple was arrested on Thursday for killing their 18-month-old daughter, who they allegedly left in a car overnight after the Fourth of July.
Joel and Jazmine Rondon, both 33, reportedly left a party with their daughter and two other children, ages 8 and 6, at 2 a.m. Upon arriving at their Winchester Estates home, Jazmine told Joel to bring the baby inside while she got the two older kids in bed — but that never occurred, according to WFLA.
After bringing other items inside, Joel reportedly believed his daughter was already out of the car because all four doors were closed. However, she was still in the car and she remained there until 11 a.m.
“This child is 18 months old,” Polk County sheriff Grady Judd said. “She is not old enough to let herself out of the harness but she’s old enough to realize she’s suffering a torturous death at the negligence of Joel and Jazmine.”
Joel allegedly tested positive for methamphetamines, marijuana, and alcohol. His wife reportedly tested positive for marijuana and alcohol.
According to WFTS, the Rondons went to bed without confirming their daughter was in the home. That morning, they realized their daughter was missing — leading Joel to find her unresponsive in her car seat. They brought her to the hospital but she was pronounced dead.
Read Related Also: ‘Literally in bed together’: Judge’s ‘sexual relationship’ with prosecutor leads to murder conviction being overturned
An autopsy concluded that their 18-month-old daughter died of hyperthermia. Her parents are charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.
Judd commented, “This is not an accident, this is pure negligence and I suggest to you the core of the negligence is the use of drugs.”
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most — your children.
[Featured image: Facebook video screengrab]
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’
fbq(‘init’, ‘249856382045099’);
fbq(‘track’, “PageView”);
