Couple left 5-year-old and baby locked in 125-degree car for 40 minutes as they shopped at Walmart, cops say

Bystanders saw the children locked in the car and called 911

A couple has been arrested after locking their two young children in a car for 40 minutes during an excessive heat watch while they shopped at Walmart.

Mirianne Pierre and Watson Joseph were arrested on Monday evening on two counts of dependent neglect and booked into Marion County Jail in Indiana.

Bystanders called 911 after seeing the children, aged five and just under a year old, alone in a Ford SUV which wasn’t running at an Indianapolis Walmart, according to Fox59.

One child was sweating while the other appeared dazed, Fox59 reported. The car was likely over 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51C) when they found the children, according to Lawrence Police Department who responded. The children are now in the care of child services.

Mirianne Pierre, pictured in a booking photo, was arrested Monday alongside her partner Joseph Watson after leaving two children locked in a hot car (Marion County Jail)

Monday’s temperature in the area hit 93F (33C), the highest recorded this month, according to the National Weather Service. The region was issued an excessive heat watch at the time.

Joseph and Pierre, both 31, were released on Wednesday, jail records show. Joseph’s next hearing is scheduled for June 24. Pierre’s hearing date is not listed in public records.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Sergeant Anthony Patterson, whose department did not investigate the case, told Fox59 that parents must be extra diligent to protect their kids on hot days.

“We never want to leave our kids unattended, much less when it’s hot outside. The moment we shut that engine off, the temperatures rise really rapidly,” Patterson told Fox59.

Watson Joseph, pictured in a booking photo, was arrested on Monday but released Wednesday. His hearing date is set for June 24 (Marion County Jail)

“Once those doors are shut the temperatures rise really quickly. So you may feel it’s only a couple minutes, but to the person or child inside the car, that’s an eternity. It gets really hot really fast.”

The high temperatures in Lawrence came amid a nationwide heat wave caused by an atmospheric heat dome that settled over the central and eastern US. At least 270 million people felt the oppressive heat this week. High temperatures are expected to linger through early next week, the NWS forecasts.