A 1-year-old girl in Nebraska was killed on Monday after she was left in her daycare center’s van on one of the hottest days of the year when temperatures were in the upper 90s.
When daycare workers at Kidz of the Future Childcare in Omaha found the girl in the van, they called the authorities, but when EMTs and officers responded, the girl was unresponsive, Omaha police shared.
The child’s mother, Sina Johnson, spoke with WOWT about the incident, questioning why she was left in the car and how none of the workers noticed.
Johnson’s daughter, Ra’Miyah Worthington, was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, police shared.
Court documents obtained by NBC News shared that the girl’s body temperature had surpassed 109 degrees Fahrenheit.
“She loved, loved, loved her family,” Johnson, WOWT. “She loved her daddy. She was daddy’s little girl.”
On Tuesday, Ryan Williams, 62, of Omaha, was charged with a felony count of child negligence resulting in death. He now faces up to four years in prison.
Williams allegedly told investigators that Worthington was left in the car after he became distracted with a young boy who didn’t want to get out of the van while he was unloading the vehicle, court documents shared.
A second staff member came to help get the boy out of the car, and Williams then closed up the van without giving one final look through, as he claims he typically does.
Williams has his bond hearing set for Wednesday morning.
“He was responsible for getting those kids inside,” Douglas County Chief Deputy Attorney Brenda Beadle shared. “That little girl was in that van between five and six hours with the temperature outside reaching nearly 100.”
While the girl’s death is being investigated, the daycare will remain closed, state officials shared.
A GoFundMe has been started to help pay for Worthington’s funeral costs. As of Wednesday morning, it has raised more than $26,000.
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