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Inset: Nyla Simmons (Lee County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Kia dealership in Albany, Georgia, where she allegedly left her 7-month-old baby in her vehicle (Google Maps).
Authorities have charged 22-year-old Nyla Simmons with second-degree murder and child cruelty, as reported by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The investigation began on October 16, when Simmons brought her unresponsive infant to a local hospital from the Kia Automotive Dealership on Ledo Road. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to revive the baby, who was pronounced dead upon arrival. The child’s identity has not been disclosed publicly.
Reports from local affiliates WALB, representing NBC and ABC, indicate that Simmons left her baby inside the vehicle while she worked. It was only after discovering the baby unresponsive that she rushed to the hospital. An autopsy was conducted the following day, though the findings have yet to be released, and Coroner Michael Fowler noted that such results could take some time.
According to local NBC and ABC affiliate WALB, Simmons left the baby inside the car before going to work at the dealership. She later found the baby unresponsive and drove the child to a hospital. The coroner conducted an autopsy the day after the infant’s death. The results of that autopsy have not been made publicly available.
Coroner Michael Fowler told WALB the results could take time to come in.
“If there is not any trauma to the child or injuries to the child, then a lot of time, you got to wait on [toxicology] and the histology, all of that, to come in and see what happened,” Fowler told the TV station.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to investigate the incident. Agents arrested Simmons on Nov. 3.
While it is unclear how long Simmons allegedly left the baby in the car, temperatures in Albany reached a blazing 88 degrees on the day in question, according to Weather Underground.
Simmons remains in the Lee County Jail.