Mother explains how she forgot infant son in hot car, leading to his death
EMPORIA, Va. — The mother of a 6-month-old boy who died after he was left in a hot car for hours said she forgot her baby was in the car while she was at work, according to WTVR.
Blondia Curry, 30, said she was taking her children to stay with various family members on Aug. 10 before work when she got a call.
“My youngest daughter’s father calls and he said his mother wasn’t going to be able to watch [one of her daughters]. That’s what I believe threw me off,” the mother of four said.
Curry said she arranged for one relative to watch her three oldest children.
After she dropped them off, she said, she drove to her job at Domino’s on Market Drive in Emporia, forgetting to drop off her baby at another relative’s home.
“My friend called me on the way to work and asked me about my oldest daughter, checking on her, and I just forgot all about dropping the baby off,” Curry said.
Police believe the baby — identified as Dameer — was left in his mother’s car from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., five hours in all.
Curry discovered the child in distress when she went outside during a work break.
Witnesses then police and EMS attempted to revive the child, but it was too late.
Dameer was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“I’ve been stressed out with my 10-year-old daughter [who was recently diagnosed with diabetes]. I could have lost her. Just been a lot on me,” Curry said.
Police said Curry was cooperating with their investigation and they are awaiting autopsy results from the medical examiner’s office.
“I do everything for my kids. I work hard for them,” said Curry, who worked this summer at Domino’s and Greensville High School. “That’s how much I love my kids. They didn’t ask to be here, you know? I did anything I could for my kid.”