Unthinkable: Michigan Couple Charged After Child, Dog Trapped in Sweltering Car

A Michigan mom and her boyfriend are facing child abuse and animal cruelty charges after police say they left a young child and a dog locked inside a stifling-hot vehicle on a day when temperatures soared into the 90s.

The boy's mother, 31-year-old Natasha Garcia of Harrison, and her 35-year-old boyfriend, Nathan Crandell of Perry, were arrested on Wednesday, July 23. They were charged with fourth-degree child abuse, child abuse for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, and cruelty to one animal, according to the Clare County Sheriff’s Office.

Both the child and the dog survived and are expected to be OK.

How Hot Was It Inside the Vehicle?

According to WNEM-TV 5, the Clare County Sheriff’s Department received reports of the boy and the dog left unattended in a vehicle that was not running. At the time of the incident, the outside temperature was 82 degrees. The windows of the truck were rolled down less than six inches, and deputies reported the temperature inside the vehicle to be significantly hotter.

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Deputies determined that the child and dog had been left inside the vehicle unattended for about 15 minutes. The mother and her boyfriend were inside the Harrison Family Fare Supermarket and did not exit the store until 18 minutes after the child and dog were rescued.

What Michigan Law Says About Kids Left in Cars

Personally, I have zero sympathy for this mother and her boyfriend. What they did wasn’t just illegal—it was reckless and could have ended in tragedy. This easily could’ve been a very different story.