KAILUA-KONA — A toddler remains in critical condition five days after she was found left unattended for nearly two hours inside a parked vehicle in Kailua Village.
Hawaii Police said Wednesday evening, a second-degree reckless endangering investigation has been initiated and is ongoing at this time.
The 2-year-old girl was found in an unattended vehicle at the Coconut Grove Marketplace parking lot on Sunday afternoon. That evening, she was intubated and flown to the state’s only children’s hospital located on Oahu, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children.
Hawaii Fire Department rescue personnel responded to the call at 3:53 p.m., fire officials said. When crews from the Kailua Fire Station arrived about three minutes later, they found the child was no longer alone in the vehicle and was being cooled by a fan.
By the time Hawaii Police officers made it to the scene, medics were already transporting the child, who was suffering from heat exhaustion, to Kona Community Hospital. Fire officials said advanced life-saving protocols were initiated en route.
The child, police say, was inside the parked vehicle for nearly two hours before her family realized her whereabouts were unknown and tracked her down. The car was in no shade or very little shade in the parking area behind Bongo Ben’s.
According to police, the father said that the family had been shopping earlier that day, and after he dropped them off at home, he headed to work. He did not realize his daughter was asleep in the vehicle when he went into work earlier in the afternoon.
When the family realized the girl was not at the house, the child’s aunt drove to the father’s place of employment, and found the toddler in the vehicle, police said.
No one has been arrested in connection with the incident.