LAKELAND -- An 18-month-old child has died after sitting in a hot car in Lakeland, and her parents are facing criminal charges.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says Joel and Jazmine Rondon left their toddler strapped in her seat for eight hours after returning from a Fourth of July party early Wednesday morning. Jasmine had taken the couple's two older children inside and Joel thought she had retrieved the youngest also.
Joel Rondon woke up at 10 a.m. and about an hour later, realized he didn't know where the child was. He searched through the house and then went out to the car, where the child was still strapped into her seat. He screamed for his wife, who Judd says has some health care background, said she realized her daughter was already dead. They took the child to Lakeland Regional Hospital, where they tried to cool her down but found her temperature remained over 104 degrees. She was declared deceased and investigators were called in.
Wednesday evening, DCF performed drug tests on the Rondons. Jazmine tested positive for alcohol and marijuana. Joel tested positive for alcohol, marijuana and meth.
Judd says the parents feel remorse for their daughter's death. But he says "their real remorse will be tonight when they sit in their... jail cells, in an air conditioned environment... thinking 'it's nice and cool here, when my baby baked to death because of my use of drugs'." Judd says the parents can and must be held accountable.
The Rondons' other two children are in DCF custody.
According to the group Kids and Car Safety, four other children have died in hot cars in Florida this year. A two year old girl was left in a car in Orange City June 8th, an 11 month old girl was left in a car in Palm Bay May 28th, a two year old girl was left in a car in Prosperity May 16th, and a two year old boy was left in a car in Port St. Lucie March 6th.
Photo: Canva