A little girl from Arkansas has passed away and her younger sister was left in critical condition after they were found in their mother’s hot car.
In a press release on Tuesday, the Arkansas State Police said they received a call at around 2 pm from Kaylee Petchenik, 21, saying her children were missing.
The mother told the officers that her daughters, 15-month-old Olivia and 3-year-old Laykn, disappeared after she woke up from a nap.
An officer sent to the home found the children lying unconscious inside the mother’s vehicle.
The 3-year-old was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her baby sister was rushed to a hospital in Little Rock where she remains in critical condition.
“Both are apparent victims of heat,” the police concluded.
A neighbor, Matthew Wood, told 5News how Petchenik had approached him and asked if he had seen her children.
“I was sitting out of my porch around 11 o’clock and my neighbor Kaylee, the mom has came outside and looked concerned and worried and she came up to and asked if I had seen her kids,” he told the news outlet.
“The mother works night shifts. She was asleep, she had laid down for a nap. She said she had locked her doors and when she woke up the door was open and the kids were gone.”
Wood also said that the children were found one hour after the officer arrived.
“I was standing next to him when we looked down and saw them in the car, but I kind of froze up at the sight, I’m not going to lie,” Wood expressed. “He opened the door, screamed for EMS and grabbed both of them and rushed them to the hospital.
“The little girl who has passed, Laykyn, she was just limp when he picked her up and lifeless. I was just sick when I saw her and I had to sit down.
“Knowing that little girl only got 3 years of life and the only thing I can do now is pray that the youngest one makes it out fine.”
A GoFundMe page was set up to help the family cover the funeral expenses for Laykn.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.
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