A adolescent father who admitted to authorities that he intentionally left his 14-month-old boy in a hot car for hours so he could have some peace and quiet in his apartment while the baby’s mother was at work is now facing murder and other charges.
According to New Philadelphia, Ohio, police, Landon Parrott, 19, was being held on a $250,000 bond in the Tuscarawas County Jail on charges of murder, endangering minors on two separate occasions, and involuntary manslaughter.
The incident happened last Thursday when Parrott took the 1-year-old who was not breathing to the emergency room at Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital. His explanation to hospital staff that he had entered for a brief bathroom break and returned to find his child unresponsive quickly disintegrated.
His explanation did not fit the baby’s symptoms, so hospital workers notified the police after noticing this.
According to a statement from Chief Michael Goodwin, “during the initial inquiry the investigators noticed conflicting information being offered by the father.” The father admitted to the detectives what had happened to his son as the investigation went on and more evidence was gathered, according to the report.
According to sources, the new information was revealed on surveillance footage from the building across the street. The toddler was seen on camera being left alone by Parrott while his mother was at work. At around 8:30 a.m., it showed Parrott holding the infant; however, she was not seen again until 1:50 p.m.
Goodwin stated that the infant died after being abandoned in the car for around five hours while it was 87 degrees outside. It became clear during the interview that this was not a case of forgetting the youngster, but rather a conscious decision to make sure the child wouldn’t cause a commotion within the home.
Parrott also admitted, according to the police, that he was aware of the dangers of hot cars and had even seen news stories about children dying after being abandoned.
His family was the ones who were the most heartbroken.
