Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009| Comments (13) MUST READ!
Collinsville woman gets probation in heat-related death of daughter
A Collinsville woman whose 1-year-old daughter died of heat exposure in a car in August while her mother was inside a Belleville insurance office for more than an hour was sentenced Tuesday to probation.
Jennifer Gomez, who also goes by the surname Carballo, of 119 Rear Wing Ave., had been charged in the death of her daughter Giselle with one felony count of endangering the life or health of a child.
Police have said Giselle and her 2 1/2 -year-old sister were left unattended in a car Aug. 5 while their mother went inside UC Insurance at 2919 South Belt West near Belleville.
The car had been parked and left running for more than an hour while Gomez was inside the insurance office talking with a family member about personal and insurance business, St. Clair County Sheriff's Department Capt. Steve Johnson has said. The woman and her daughters had stopped at the insurance office after leaving the Target store in Fairview Heights about 1:15 p.m., according to surveillance tapes reviewed by investigators, Johnson has said.
Giselle was strapped in a car seat. The children were apparently sleeping when Gomez left them in the car, but Giselle's sister woke up and got out of the vehicle and went inside the office, leaving Giselle alone in the running car.
About an hour and a half after the children were left in the car, Giselle was found unresponsive by family members, and emergency personnel were called about 3:15 p.m. She was not breathing, and her body was covered with heat blisters. She was in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived, and she was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital in Belleville.
The air conditioning was not turned on when deputies arrived to investigate Giselle's death, Johnson has said.
An autopsy found Giselle died from hyperthermia because of extreme heat. The temperature inside the car may have reached more than 150 degrees.
Giselle's sister did not suffer any injuries, Johnson has said.
http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/1069364.html
