London - A seven-month-old baby died after her father left her in a car for several hours on the hottest day of the year.
Police are investigating the possibility that Paul Fogarty accidentally left daughter Chloe in the back seat of his car after forgetting to drop her off at a creche on the way to work.
She died of suspected heatstroke as temperatures rose to 25C.
Experts warn that cars can become dangerously hot very quickly. When it’s 22C outside, it can reach 47C in a car within an hour.
Police have said that Fogarty is not currently under criminal investigation.
A senior police source said: "This is not a criminal investigation. Tragedy doesn’t come close to describing it.
"As part of the investigation neglect will have to be examined. But from early on we established this was an accident. This is every parent’s worst nightmare.’ Police are said to be looking at the possibility that Mr Fogarty was distracted by a phone call as he was heading to drop Chloe off at a creche and instead drove straight to work, with the baby left in the car throughout the morning. It is thought she was in the car for four hours.
Chloe – Fogarty’s first child with wife Louise – was found in an "unresponsive" state in the car at 1.45pm on Thursday.
Fogarty, from the village of Dundrum in Co Tipperary, Ireland, called for help and a local family doctor raced to the scene.
An emergency air ambulance airlifted the baby to Limerick University Hospital emergency department. Surgeons fought to save her life but the baby was declared dead at 5pm the same day.
Her parents are said to be ‘inconsolable’ and are being comforted by family, friends and neighbours.
Parish priest Pat Coffey said the entire community wanted to support the family. "It’s just a case of shell-shock," he said. "Everybody is feeling for them.
"I know the extended family, it’s quite a big family. Everybody is feeling for them."
A resident in Dundrum, who asked not to be named, said: "I understand from what I have heard that she was in the car for a number of hours, possibly four. They are a lovely family and would be very well known in the local area. This is just as devastating as you can imagine."
Local Sinn Fein councillor Martin Browne said that it had been "the hottest day of the year so far" in the area, which would have made conditions unbearable for the child in the car.
He said: "They are a very nice, very respectable family and it’s just a complete tragedy. I’m sure the whole community will rally around."
Fogarty works in management at steel cladding firm in Dundrum. Dozens of his colleagues on Friday held a vigil outside the offices. Some placed flowers, others lit candles. Among the bouquets left near the work premises was one with the message, "Our thoughts are with you."
A post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out at University Hospital Limerick on Saturday before the body of the seven-month-old can be released to her family, allowing funeral arrangements to be made.
It’s understood that family members have been travelling to Limerick to be with the grief-stricken parents.
The couple got married in 2015 and Chloe was born last October.