Two babies were found dead in a car outside a daycare center in South Carolina.
According to WLTX, the twin boys were found outside the Sunshine Home Early Education Academy shortly after 5.30pm. The college provides educational daycare, pre-school and after-school classes for children from 6 weeks to 12 years old. Its brand operates more than 100 daycares in nine states.
It is unclear whether these babies have gone to college. Representatives from the Richland County Sheriff’s Office said it was unclear whether the college staff had anything to do with their deaths. The investigation is still ongoing.
WACH reporter Shay Simon wrote in a tweet on Wednesday night that shortly after the baby was found, the parking lot was full of screams and crying.
The cause of death has not yet been announced. However, social media users have guessed whether the temperature inside the vehicle might have played a role.
Richland County reached a high of 83 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday night. A temperature above 80 degrees will cause the interior of the car to reach 109 degrees within 20 minutes. For more than an hour, 83 degrees of weather will cause the internal temperature of the car to exceed 125 degrees.
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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children’s bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults. This is because children’s bodies are smaller and the heat is concentrated in a smaller area. When the child’s body temperature reaches 104 degrees, their main organs begin to shut down. AAP says that when the child’s body temperature reaches 107 degrees, they will die.
“Even for a short period of time, children should not be left unattended in the car,” said Jennifer Stockburger, who is the director of operations Consumer report‘Automotive Testing Center. “Even if it is not so hot outside, our test results will show how fast the temperature inside the car is rising, regardless of whether your car is bright or dark.”
Even if the weather outside the car is pleasant, the children inside the car may be at risk of overheating. A car can still be heated to 115 degrees inside in 70 degrees weather.
The twin babies are the second and third children found dead in a car in South Carolina this year. NoHeatStroke.orgThe website contains a heatstroke death database compiled by the Department of Meteorology and Climate Sciences, San Jose State University, California.
According to the website, in June this year, a 3-year-old boy named Jacob Mutis died in a car in a home in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The database shows that as of 2021, South Carolina ranks 16th among the states with the highest number of children who died of car heatstroke between 1998 and 2020.
The Sunshine House where the baby was found is located in Richland County. The country is located in the central region of South Carolina.
Weekly newspaper Contact the Richland County Sheriff’s Office for comments.
