NASHVILLE, Tenn.— No charges have been filed at this time in the death of a 1-year-old child who was left inside a hot vehicle in Nashville.
Katera Barker was found dead Wednesday after being left in a car seat all day inside a pickup truck.
Metro Nashville Police said the investigation indicates that her father, Matt Barker, unintentionally left her in a car seat in the rear seat of his pickup truck after he parked it at the family’s Virginia Avenue home.
At 7:30 a.m., Barker apparently left to take Katera and their other child to a daycare on Chapel Avenue.
Police said he returned home at 8 a.m. and left minutes later via a rideshare service for the airport. He then flew out on a business trip.
His wife, Jenny, left home for work in her vehicle. Later that evening, Jenny Barker went to the daycare and was told that Katera was never dropped off.
She called her husband and realized that Katera was still in the pickup truck. She called 911 at 5:42 p.m. as she pulled into her driveway.
She found Katera in the truck and began CPR until paramedics arrived. The child was transported to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt where she was pronounced dead.
Matt Barker flew back to Nashville and arrived late Wednesday night. Police said they have been fully cooperative with the investigation, which remains ongoing.
The high yesterday was 89 degrees, which means the interior of the truck could've easily reached between 130-170 degrees. So far, this month has been the second hottest May on record.
