"I Thought He Was Sleeping in Bed"... U.S. Man Leaves One-Year-Old Son in Car While Intoxicated

Left Son in Car During 35-Degree Heatwave
"Accidentally Left Him in the Vehicle"

A man in the United States who had been drinking all day was arrested on charges of causing the death of his one-year-old son by leaving him in a car. It was found that the man had gone out to buy more alcohol at the time.

On May 21 (local time), U.S. media outlet WBRC reported that a 13-month-old boy was found dead in a car in Brookwood, Alabama, and that his father, Logan Keyes Chuning, had been arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter. According to police, the boy's grandmother went to visit after being unable to reach Chuning and discovered her grandson dead inside the vehicle. The boy's mother was reportedly at work at the time.

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Investigations revealed that on the day of the incident, Chuning was caring for his son alone. During police questioning, Chuning admitted to drinking multiple times that day and stated that he went out to buy more alcohol. He reportedly said, "I thought my son was sleeping in his bed," and "I accidentally left him in the car."

Police explained, "The investigation indicates that the child was left inside the car for an extended period," and "Temperatures at the time were in the 90s Fahrenheit." This corresponds to approximately 35 degrees Celsius. The exact cause of death will be determined by the coroner's office.

Regarding this case, police stated, "There is no direct evidence to prove intent, but due to reckless behavior, it is difficult to regard it as a simple accident." Chuning is currently under arrest for involuntary manslaughter. Authorities added that, depending on the results of further investigation, the charges could be upgraded to felony murder.

The U.S. advocacy group Kids and Car Safety pointed out that deaths from being left in vehicles repeatedly occur in the United States. The organization’s director, Amber Rollins, explained, "Every year, around 40 children die inside hot cars," and said, "Most cases are caused by human memory errors such as loss of sense of time or distraction." She added, "Often, people intend to take their children out of the car but forget because their attention is diverted elsewhere."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.