Posted on 10/31/2007 9:54:09 AM PDT by rawhide
PHOENIX — The mother of a 17-month-old boy found dead after he was left unattended inside a hot car for at least seven hours in a north Phoenix Hooters restaurant was arrested on one felony count of negligent homicide.
Police say the woman, Ashly Duchene, 22, left her son in her car when she arrived at the north Phoenix Hooters restaurant where she works at about 10 a.m. Tuesday. When she returned to the car after her shift at nearly 5 p.m., her son was dead.
Efforts to revive the boy by witnesses, officers and firefighters were unsuccessful. Police Sgt. Joel Tranter said temperatures hit nearly 90 degrees Tuesday, but that it would have been more than 100 degrees inside the car.
FOX 10 Phoenix reports the baby's mother had planned to drop the child off at childcare before heading to work at a restaurant near Bell Road and Interstate 17.
Instead, authorities say the mother went to work with the child still inside the car.
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The baby was in a car seat in the backseat of a Honda Civic, which had very dark tinted windows. Officials believe that made him unnoticable to people going in and out of the restaurant and a car wash next door, the Republic reported.
It's unknown if the mother will face any charges in the child's death. Tranter said situations like this are handled "on a case-by-case basis."
So far, there have been no arrests.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
You’re making an awful big leap from young irresponsible mother to murderer.
You really think parents forget their children in their vehicles? If so, I think you have to be rather naive.
You’re saying it all right there. You’ve never even been to a Hooters. They aren’t strip clubs. They’re cheezy little restaurant/bars where the waitresses all wear stupid looking shorts and tight fitting shirts. They also all wear relatively opaque stockings too, kind of like tights. I’ve been to places where waitresses dress skimpier and are a lot better looking. This is just a waitress job, not much different at all than a waitress job at Chili’s or TGI Fridays or something. I’m not suggesting that you go to one of these places, but if you did you’d see that’s it’s not that big of a deal at all. Women go to Hooters all the time if they like the food. I wasn’t at all impressed by the food so I wouldn’t go back.
Do I think this girl should be charged with murder...Yes. From her statements & the fact that other people were concerned about the child I sure do. I also find fault with the people who were concerned yet didn't act asap. Its a sad case & if she didn't want her baby she could have easily given the child to a couple who would have loved it.
http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/09/07/348604.aspx
“I will pray for the health of your grandson and hope things workout best for all in your family”
Thank you.
Experience.
And there children died? How sad...
See post 327 et al.
In every case, the parents are certainly guilty of neglect. If unintentional, no jury in the world would think any penalty they can impose would come close to the penalty the parent has already paid, i.e. the loss of their beloved child, and worse, that they are responsible for the death.
Intent would be hard to prove and prosecute. I hardly think a DA would want to go to court without some clear evidence of intent. However, you can be sure the DA definitely started with the assumption that the parent did it on purpose, and try to find any evidence to support that theory. If none can be found, there is no case. This does not neccessarily mean there was no intent, just that no evidence could be found that would hold up in court.
>>There are too many sanctimonious, first-stone casting jerks around here. I would castigate them personally if I thought it would do any good, but experience has taught me that it won’t. There’s something about the anonymity of the internet that makes some people think they can just unload their crap onto everybody else with impunity.<<
I think the problem is that when yet another “baby dying because she was left in the car because mom forgot to drop her off at daycare” story comes out, several societal problems are seen as blame:
1. Casual sex and sex outside of marriage leading to kids that are in difficult to nonexistent family structures
2. Feminism stating that men are unnecessary in a child’s life and that women can handle motherhood all on their own
3. Modern society pushing new mothers into the workforce and having daycare raise the baby even before emotional bonding can occur
4. The selfish attitude that has women keep babies that they are unprepared for rather than putting them up for adoption
5. The selfish attitude that babies shouldn’t be a “burden” on their mothers who should be able to ship their infants off to daycare and have their “freedom”
These societal problems cause uncared for and dead children, with modern young couples in a perpetual adolescence, stunted emotionally, and a drain on the morals in society.
>> Do I think this girl should be charged with murder...Yes. <<
It’s probably not a homicide case, but involuntary manslaughter would be appropriate. It would take a brave DA to take on such a case though.
Yep, I’m a shakin’. See’ins how bubba’s probably already wearin’ diapers he might hop in GenerLee and start drivin’ to Colaraddy any time now.
Careful with that broadbrush now. I was just talking about one self-identified bubba. ; )
“Sounds like he’s in “feed and grow” mode. I’ve been in NICUs. They do amazing things these days.”
That is basically correct. His heat surgery was a complete success and his bouts of apnea and bradycardia seem to be decreasing. The grade 3 brain bleed has subsided and he snows no signs of ill effects from it. Nothing less than one of God’s little miracles.
And you are so right. The technology that is available today IS amazing!
He is one tough little soldier. He was only a little over one pound at birth and has made remarkable strides. My nickname for him is “Tank”.
What gutter is that, Sergy? The one that equates anybody who works at Hooters with child murderers? I don’t think you really know what “irony” means, but thatks for playing anyway. Your unsolicited and ignorant opinion is important to us.
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