Mother Charged For Allegedly Leaving 1-Year-Old In Hot Car

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Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)– Latisha Rembert, 24, was denied bond at her detention hearing, in connection with the death of her 1-year-old son.

“Your charges are first-degree murder-homicide by child abuse-neglect, do you understand that?” Judge Fred Gordon said to Latisha during her first appearance.

The official report says Officers responded to a call of an unresponsive child at Swan Lake Iris Gardens on Wednesday afternoon. First responders tried to revive one-year old Mekhi Rembert, but efforts were unsuccessful.

“It can be a very dangerous situation and it can happen very quickly,” Lt. Tony Rivers said.

Police say Latisha parked at a location within the county before going out to Swan Lake. A consulting meteorologist who studies heat stroke deaths in children says with the temperature about 91 degrees outside on Wednesday, the car temp could have been more than 135 degrees, and if the car was in direct sunlight, even hotter.

“Certainly, when the temperatures are like today and nearing the 100-degree mark, those temps, studies have shown temps can reach from 130-170 degrees inside a vehicle,” Lt. Rivers said.

It is still unclear whether Latisha intentionally left Mekhi in the vehicle, or it was just an accident, but officers say if you ever come across a child or pet in distress, you should call 911, and then do what you can to help them get out of the situation.

“We would encourage people to act based on the situation and certainly the situation is going to dictate the immediacy and the need to intervene,” Lt. Rivers said.

Mekhi’s is the 25th child in the country that died from being left in a hot vehicle this year. Local officers are pushing to make sure there is no more in the state.

“We’ve always encouraged people to lock their cars before they leave them, but we also want to encourage people, particularly those who are responsible for the care of small children, vulnerable adults, pets, to look before they lock the vehicle,” Lt. Rivers said.

Rembert’s next court appearance will be in Circuit court on September 1st.