A Louisiana father faces a second-degree murder charge for allegedly leaving his 21-month-old daughter in a hot car for more than nine hours.

Joseph Boatman, 32, from Hammond, was taken into custody on Sunday following the child’s death outside a residence in Madisonville, as reported by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“Detectives from the STPSO Major Crimes Unit discovered that Boatman had secured the toddler in her car seat inside the vehicle after collecting her from a family member’s home shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Sunday,” police stated.

“After strapping the toddler in her car seat, Boatman went back inside the residence and never returned to the vehicle. It was also learned that prior to Boatman arriving to pick up his daughter, he had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages,” the sheriff’s office added. 

The girl was found unresponsive inside the hot car Sunday, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said. (St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office)

The website No Heat Stroke, which tracks the deaths of children inside hot cars in the U.S., said it was the fifth instance this year, following cases in New Mexico, California, Maryland and New Jersey. 

“A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s. When a child is left in a vehicle, that child’s temperature can rise quickly – and the situation can quickly become dangerous,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says on its website. 

“In 2024, 39 children died of heatstroke in vehicles — up 35% from 2023.” 

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Boatman Sunday, June 9. (Google Maps)

The NHTSA also says, “Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended for any length of time,” and, “Rolling windows down or parking in the shade does little to change the interior temperature of the vehicle.”