Inset: Linda Stevens (Putnam County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The library where Stevens allegedly left an infant in a hot car in Monterey, Tenn. (Google Maps).
A Tennessee woman has been arrested following the tragic death of an infant who was left in a hot car for several hours, according to local authorities.
Linda Stevens, 69, faces charges of criminally negligent homicide, as announced by the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office this week.
A press statement from the prosecutors claims that Stevens “unlawfully and negligently” caused the death of 7-month-old Gabrielle Alonzo.
The heartbreaking event took place on April 15 outside the Monterey Branch Library on East Commercial Avenue, part of the Putnam County Library System. Monterey Police Department received a 911 call reporting an unresponsive child in a vehicle.
Law enforcement officers arrived at the scene around 4 p.m. and discovered that the child had passed away.
Despite attempts to revive the infant with CPR, Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris confirmed that the efforts were unsuccessful, as reported by Nashville’s ABC affiliate WKRN.
Investigators say Stevens secured “the child and his car seat in the backseat of her vehicle” and “secured the car seat with the belt buckle” and had plans to drop the boy off at daycare “but she did not.”
“Once secured in the vehicle, Linda Charlene Stevens drove to the public library in Monterey…where she worked,” the press release reads. “She entered the building and began her work day.”
The child is alleged to have languished in the car for some eight hours.
“She left the child secured in her locked car from 8:00 am until approximately 4:00 pm. when she received a telephone call from a family member asking about the child’s whereabouts,” the DA’s office said.
The defendant has been described as the child’s foster grandmother.
Farris said the baby’s foster mother sent him along with Stevens so he could be dropped off at day care, according to WKRN. When the child never arrived, however, the day care called the foster mother who then reached out to the defendant. That’s when the horrific realization hit.
“This is a devastating tragedy,” the sheriff said. “We are thoroughly investigating the circumstances regarding this incident. As temperatures rise, please take a moment and always check your vehicle. A simple check can save a child’s life.”
The defendant was originally detained in the Putnam County Jail on $50,000 bond – which she subsequently posted – and was released on Friday afternoon, jail records show.
