3-year-old Georgia boy dies after being left in hot car for hours

A 3-year-old boy died from asphyxiation after his grandma left him in a hot car Sunday after church in temperatures that reached more than 90 degrees, according to officials.

Kendrick Engram Jr. had been out all day with his grandma and other kids when they got home around 5:30 p.m., Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan told WTVM Monday.

Around 8 p.m., Kendrick’s grandmother noticed that he wasn’t inside and called his uncle, who had borrowed the car to pick up ice cream.

The toddler’s uncle found him in the third row of the SUV, not breathing.

Kendrick was declared dead around 9 p.m. and the coroner told WTVM that he died of asphyxiation.

“Just be aware. Just be aware. If you’re an adult, be responsible,” Bryan said. “The children are innocent. They can’t help themselves and when you have a child that puts the responsibility on you.”

Kendrick may have tried to climb out of the car but failed, according to Bryan.

According to the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety, at least seven children have died in hot cars already this year.