A South Florida mother is facing child neglect charges after her young child was found screaming in a hot car in a Walmart parking lot this past weekend.
Officers with the Hollywood Police Department responded to the parking lot of the store on State Road 7 just after 3 p.m. Sunday after a witness heard the child screaming from a cracked window.
Fire Rescue was able to pull the child out without breaking the window. First responders say the engine was turned off while the child was inside the vehicle.
Store surveillance cameras revealed the mother, 34-year-old Anastasiya Motalava, was shopping inside the Walmart for more than 30 minutes while her child was left in the car.
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She was arrested and is facing one count of child neglect. On Tuesday, a judge ordered her to stay away from her own child until further court orders.
Court records show Motalava bonded out of jail on a $10,000 bond.
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Amber Rollins, the director of the non-profit Kids and Car Safety said Florida ranks second in the nation for hot car deaths, behind Texas.
Since 1992, nearly 120 hot car deaths involving kids in Florida have been recorded by the organization.
“A vehicle is essentially a greenhouse,” Rollins said. “A child’s body temperature rises 3 to 5 times faster than an adult, and you have a recipe for disaster.”
Most hot car deaths happen between June and August, but Florida’s weather can fluctuate with high temperatures, year-round.
Still, Rollins says 55% of hot car incidents involve caregivers who unknowingly leave their child in the car. Another 25% occur when a child gains access to a vehicle on their own, and can’t get out.
Just 15% involve parents who knowingly leave a child in the vehicle, according to Kids and Car Safety statistics.
“This is definitely a Florida problem and something that needs to be top of mind,” Rollins said.
As of July 2024, Kids and Car Safety has documented 11 hot car deaths nationwide.
One of them was reported in Florida while another case is still pending an autopsy.
