Sheriff: Kansas toddler who died from heat found in hot car

(AP) — A 2-year-old child who died in southeastern Kansas had woken up from a nap, unlocked the home’s front door and gotten into the family vehicle, sheriff’s officials said.

Investigators say the mother found the child unconscious Tuesday. The child was transported to a hospital where he died.

Cowley County Sheriff David Falletti said in a news release that a preliminary autopsy finding determined the child died due to extreme heat exposure, KSNW-TV reported. The sheriff said the investigation is over.

Most of Kansas has been under a heat advisory all week, and the heat index in Cowley County on Tuesday reached as high as 108 degrees.

The nonprofit group KidsandCars.org said more than 1,000 children have died in hot cars across the country since 1990, and at least 26% of those deaths have happened when a child gets into a vehicle on their own.