A 26-year-old Tennessee mother allegedly left her baby girl unattended in a hot vehicle earlier this week while she went inside a restaurant to drink on National Tequila Day, according to multiple news outlets.
The woman, identified as Rachel Vanwagner, faces charges of child abuse and neglect in connection with the alleged incident on Tuesday, which occurred in the parking lot at a Mexican restaurant on Highway 70 in Arlington.
Accord Deputies from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office were first called to the establishment by a couple who overheard a child’s cries as they left dinner around 7 p.m., according to local TV station WMC.
The couple said that a baby girl, who appeared to be about 6 months old, was in a car alone, WMC reports. The vehicle was not running and the windows were left open a crack.
According to charging documents obtained by station WHBQ, the baby was sweating when police arrived to remove her from the car.
The outside temperature when authorities arrived at the restaurant was 92 degrees, WHBQ reports.
“When you walk outside you don’t expect to hear a baby in a car and when you do immediately as a parent you perk up,” said the man who, along with his wife, first called authorities He asked to remain anonymous when speaking with local TV.
“The child was hot,” he told WMC. “We could tell that she was sweating, but we knew she wasn’t in immediate danger yet.”
