Hannah Faith Cormier (Jeff Davis Parish)

On Wednesday, the 33-year-old Cormier received a five-year prison sentence for the tragic death of her daughter, whose name has not been released. This information was confirmed by the Jeff Davis Parish District Attorney’s Office.

On August 13, 2024, Cormier left her daughter unattended in the car for roughly two hours while working at the fast-food restaurant in Jennings, located in western Louisiana. That day, temperatures soared into the low 90s, with a heat index making it feel like 106 degrees, according to local Fox and NBC affiliate KADN. Police reported the car’s interior temperature reached a staggering 140 degrees.

Tragically, the young girl was taken to a hospital but succumbed to the extreme heat the following day.

The girl was rushed to the hospital, where she died the next day.

Cormier initially faced a second-degree murder charge.

“The situation wasn’t a case of she just forgot the baby in the car,” Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes told KADN at the time. “That’s what brought us to charging her.”

Semmes said Cormier “intentionally” drove the girl to work. She didn’t have “intent to do harm” but her actions caused the girl’s death, Semmes told KADN.

A grand jury indicted Cormier on a charge of negligent homicide in October 2024. She pleaded no contest to the charge in July. Prosecutors were seeking between five and 10 years in prison. The sentence was enhanced because the girl was under the age of 10.

“The death of any child is heartbreaking and losing this 10-month-old baby has deeply affected our whole community,” District Attorney Lauren Heinen said in a statement. “No sentence can bring her back or take away the pain everyone feels. This was a difficult case with tragic circumstances, but every child deserves to be protected. We will continue to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves.”