A Louisiana father has been charged with murdering his 21-month-old daughter, who reportedly died in a hot car on Sunday.
According to WBRZ, a family member found a girl who had been left in a parked car in Madisonville for nine hours. The St. Tammany Parish police revealed that the girl’s father, Joseph Boatman, 35, had gone to pick her up from a relative’s house, but instead of taking her, he put her in a car seat, went into a nearby house, and did not return.
Joseph Boatman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder because the police suspect he had consumed several alcoholic beverages before going to get his daughter. Lt. Suzanne Carboni from the Louisiana Radio Network mentioned that it remains unclear why Boatman secured his daughter in the vehicle and then abandoned her.
Lt. Suzanne Carboni further explained, “The child was buckled in the car seat apparently around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, and a family member found her there at noon.”
Boatman’s daughter is reportedly the fifth hot-car death this year. According to No Heat Stroke, 39 children died in hot cars in 2024.
[Feature Photo: St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office]
