Arizona girl, 3, dies after being found in hot car; mom arrested

PHOENIX — A 3-year-old girl is dead and her mother behind bars after authorities found the child unresponsive inside a hot car in Arizona, police said.

According to KSAZ and KNXV, Phoenix police responded to an apartment near Thunderbird Road and Interstate 17 about 4:30 p.m. Sunday after receiving a call about a missing toddler. Tianna Jones, 23, told officers that her daughter, Delilah, had vanished, police said.

When Jones realized that she couldn’t find the keys to her car, police decided to search Jones’ vehicle and discovered the girl inside, the news outlets reported. The child later died at an area hospital, authorities said.

After reviewing surveillance footage, investigators learned that the girl had walked out of the home and got into the vehicle around noon, KNXV reported. Jones had been napping following a night of using drugs and drinking alcohol, police said.

Jones is facing a charge of child abuse, according to the news outlets.

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Cox Media Group