Posted on 08/04/2005 6:41:41 AM PDT by WestTexasWend
A mother's horror turned to a grave reality just before 6 p.m. Wednesday when she stopped to pick up her 1-year-old son from Madison's Place Day Care, located in the 5200 block of 13th Street.
According to police, day care employees told the mother they had not seen Joseph Duemer - born July 15, 2004 - all day, and he had not been checked into the facility.
The mother returned to her vehicle to find Joseph dead in the back seat, said Lubbock police spokesman Lt. Roy Bassett.
"He was in the back seat and had been back there all day," Bassett said.
Although Joseph was transported for treatment, Bassett said it was too late to save him.
According to Lubbock police Sgt. Leland Hufstedler, unconfirmed reports indicate the mother left her home about 8 a.m. Wednesday to drop off the child at Madison's Place.
"Right now, it doesn't look like it was anything intentional," said Hufstedler.
The high temperature in Lubbock was 93 Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The temperature dipped to 90 at about 6 p.m.
The mother was being questioned Wednesday night by police about the incident, Bassett said.
"The mother was taken to the police station to possibly give a statement and possibly speak to detectives if she chooses to," said Bassett, who indicated the father arrived at the day care shortly after the baby's death was reported to 911 from the facility.
At press time, a Lubbock police investigator said the mother had yet to give a statement to police and did have an attorney present at the station.
Exiting the police station at about 9:30 p.m., the mother was consoled by her husband along with a Lubbock attorney and a small group of people.
Leaving in a white T-shirt, black jogging shorts and tennis shoes, the mother dabbed at eyes swollen with tears before getting into a vehicle and leaving the station.
Hufstedler said the investigation continues as they plan to determine whether the case should head to Lubbock County Criminal District Attorney Bill Sowder for presentation to a grand jury.
Bassett said there will be an autopsy conducted to determine the cause of death.
I don't even have children and I'm well known for being attentive to my friends children. My friends know they can count on me to keep their kids safe.
When Ive had girlfriend with children I wouldn't leave the baby in the car long enough to run into a party store.
I don't see how they could punish her any worse than she is punishing herself.
I feel bad for this lady, her husband, and the child. :-(
This is probably the case. I'm sure she received a cell phone call, recalled important work related assignments or the like.
You just have to be a liberal defense lawyer or a work-Mommy.
This is another case of Mommy taking a job from a man (or a single woman) who could have supported his/her family with it. Worker-Mommy simultaneously depresses wages, dumps 40% to %80 back into the day care payments (inflating prices) and causes real estate taxes to go thru the roof as the public schools deal with the neglected, kennelled children.
The is the Sovietization of American society proceeds apace. The Soviets were always very proud of how their womyn worked, I visited schools in Leningrad that ran from 8 am to 5 pm...this is where we are headed.
I was a full-time worker when I had babies and I never forgot them in the back seat. The idea is completly foreign to me.
Tragic.
Saw news of a situation in Pittsburgh -- parents left their child in their car while they went to a Pirates baseball game. Fortunately, the child survived...I don't have all the details, but I think someone saw the child, broke into the car and got him out. Presumably, it was a miscommunication between the parents (I guess one thought the other had taken the child to someone to watch???)
Anyway, this is happening all too frequently. Maybe it was a mistake...maybe it was too much stress...who knows? But we have also had a number of these incidents where people go do the hump-de-hump and leave a child in a hot car. Or they're out buying drugs, or doing drugs, or drinking in a bar. Those are the ones who ought to be shot.
This may also be yet another symptom of our tendency now to make our children's safety a low priority. And that scares me.
Any detective or police officer will tell you that there is no "normal" way for parents to react to the death of their child. Some wail hysterically, some become catatonic, others carry on in complete denial. Suspicion can rarely be established by guaging a parent's reaction to such a horrible event.
But you don't understand!! How else can a family meet their expenses? They have 2 car payments for vehicles less than a year old, the mortgage on a 2500 sq. ft. home furnished like HGTV, the timeshare, the hottest electronics, club dues, complete work and home wardrobe for both, summer camp for children.....< / sarcasm>
OK. I'll be the evil bad guy on this thread.
She forgot the kid in the car early in the day and went to the day care as a coverup. Rearview mirrors don't just show the vehicle behind you, it also has a handy dandy view of the the rear seat.
I hate thinking that, but there it is.
Lock her up. Her sob story doesn't hold water.
Poor woman.
But then again, was work so important to forget your baby???
I agree, I have had 5 children and never once forgot one. I worked 3 jobs at once a while back and slept about 2-3 hours a night for 2 years and never forgot one. Something is not kosher.
The next think is a government law mandating beepers if a baby is left in the back seat, kinda like when you leave your keys in the car. I'm being sarcastic.
Partially agree here. The one thing I noticed is she forgot her baby, but didn't forget to take her attorney with her to the police station.
Still a sad, sad story.
Add to that, darkened windows. . .where you cannot even see inside a car. . (babies facing backwards; so you do not even see them in the mirror unless you have a 'reverse'. . .) and add stress and 'it is not your 'routine' ; maybe add under-the-influence of anti-drugs for all occasions. . .then a little easier to move to some kind of understanding in some of these scenarios.
However; she did not 'just' forget her child. . .she seems to have forgotten the whole routine of getting him to his daycare.
And beyond the mundane. . .there are too often 'other' motivations. . .
Let me get this straight. Does she dress like that for work? Does she not have a job? Did she work out after work? How do you NOT see a kid in the back seat from the rear view mirror. I'm sure she put the car in reverse at some point and had to look behind her...
We had a thread arguing that exact point about a month ago. I don't have the link, but the nannystate is working on it. :(
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