Charges say 2-year-old was ‘unconscious and sweating profusely’ in South Hill parking lot

Pierce County prosecutors charged two Bellevue residents with child abandonment Wednesday for allegedly leaving a 2-year-old boy inside a hot car in a South Hill parking lot.

A 37-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were charged with second-degree abandonment of a dependent person in Pierce County Superior Court. Not guilty pleas were entered on their behalf at arraignment, and the court ordered them released on their own recognizance pending trial.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department arrested the two around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a police report. Authorities transported the child to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma.

A state Child Protective Services worker arrived at Mary Bridge that day and completed a child custody transfer sheet, according to the police report.

Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss told The News Tribune Friday that he did not have any updates on the child’s condition.

Around 5 p.m. Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies and Graham Fire & Rescue responded to the scene at 9518 176th St. E. Graham Fire took the child out of a car that had dark-tinted windows that were “rolled completely shut,” according to the police report.

Graham Fire found the child “unconscious and sweating profusely,” according to the police report, and fire personnel felt a burst of hot air when they opened the car door.

It was about 72 degrees that day. The temperature inside the vehicle possibly reached up to 100 degrees, according to the police report, and the child was lethargic and responded slowly when he regained consciousness.

The News Tribune reported in May 2023 that a 1-year-old died after a foster parent accidentally left the child in a vehicle in Puyallup.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the child as Steven Kopp from Graham. The cause of death was hyperthermia, and it was ruled an accident. Charges have not been filed.

Kids & Cars, an organization that works toward eliminating vehicle risks to kids and pets, told KOMO in May 2023 that the death was the first such case in Washington state recorded in 10 years.

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