JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 3-year-old girl who died Friday in a hot car in coastal Mississippi had recently moved from Jacksonville with her mother, a police officer with the Long Beach Police Department.
Cheyenne Hyer was pronounced dead after she was found alone in a parked car. Her body was sent Monday to Pearl for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam told a local newspaper that the car's engine was running when the girl was found between noon and 1 p.m. Friday.
"There is some other information that we are looking into, but it hasn't been verified yet," Adam said.
Long Beach Police Chief Wayne McDowell said that child's mother and a male officer were placed on administrative leave while the death was investigated. He says he talked with the man, but the mother was too distraught to speak with him Saturday.
The girl's father, Ryan Hyer, believes the mother is responsible for Cheyenne's death. He shared photos of his daughter with News4Jax, but was too distraught to talk about the situation. He did say that Cheyenne was supposed to spend the summer in Jacksonville, but that didn't happen.
According to San Jose State University Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, there have been 35 child deaths in so far this year in the United States due to heatstroke in hot vehicles.
Source: San Jose State University Department of Meteorology & Climate Science