Baby Died in Hot Car While Mom Got Her Hair Done – But What She Did Next Was Unfathomable

A 1-year-old baby died after being left in a hot car for six hours, but unlike many tragic deaths of this nature, young Skylar was not forgotten. Her mother purposefully left the child in the car with the air conditioner running so that she could attend a hair appointment at a salon.

Georgia mom Gijanelle Fowler was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and child cruelty, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She had reportedly left the car running, but when she returned to the car at 4 p.m., the battery had died. Witnesses said Fowler did not leave the salon at all during her six-hour appointment to check on the girl.

Whether or not this was just a tragic accident is uncertain, but police maintain that they don't believe Fowler intended to harm the child. What happened next, however, is truly disturbing, and it led authorities to also charge her with concealing the death of a child.

"Instead of calling 911, she called roadside assistance to get her battery jumped," said DeKalb County Police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell.

In the parking lot, the man assisting Fowler with the car didn't see the baby because, police believe, the mom covered her with clothes that were in the car. Fowler then texted the child's godfather that "she was going to go to an urgent care for headaches," a detective reported, and she also googled signs of seizures. Only then did she dial 911.

So far this year, 23 children have died from heatstroke due to being left in a hot car.