
A three year old child, who was about to turn four years old on August 22, perished in the back seat of a hot van in Orlando on Monday. Myles Hill was in the back of a van used to transport kids to/from home and his Day Care Center, Little Miracles Academy. It appears the boy was left in the hot van at the day care facility for nearly 12 hours on Monday, when temperatures reached the low 90s with a heat index in the triple digits.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina said charges are pending against the driver, who told police she did not do a head count when dropping off the children. “This is an absolute tragedy which could have been prevented,” Mina said, and added that while it’s likely the boy died from heat-related causes, an autopsy would be performed.
According to the website NoHeatStroke.org, Myles is the fifth child to die in Florida this year and the 33rd to perish in the nation this year by being left behind in a hot vehicle.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that the Florida Department of Children and Families is “pursuing every legal option available to cease operations by tomorrow at (the Day Care Center),” even though their investigation isn’t complete, department secretary Mike Carroll said. According to Department of Children and Families records, Little Miracles Academy failed to comply with the “transportation rule” during a July 11 inspection. The facility’s log did not include elements such as arrival and departure times and destination locations, according to the report. Records show the problem was fixed right away, however.