VICKSBURG, Mich. —
A 3-year-old boy found dead in a car outside a Kalamazoo area grocery store in August was in there for hours, documents obtained by 13 ON YOUR SIDE say.
The father of the toddler found him in the car after he stopped at the Vicksburg Family Fare. When authorities arrived, the toddler was dead.
Chad Martin, 36, is now facing child abuse - leaving a child in a vehicle unattended resulting in death. That charge was filed Tuesday afternoon.
The father told authorities he “never checks the backseat when he gets to work” and documents say he forgot to drop his son off at daycare before he started his shift.
Documents reveal the father would routinely drop the toddler and his older sister off at daycare before heading to work. Because of the children’s ages, they attended daycare in separate buildings.
According to officials, the father said the children “always sleep in the vehicle en route to daycare,” and the older daughter walks herself into daycare while the father carries his son in.
When asked what happened after he dropped off his daughter at daycare, the father told authorities “I guess I went straight to work.”
During an interview with someone involved with the children’s daycare, the person said the daughter was checked in that day, and it was noted that the son was not present around 6:40 a.m. The daycare did not contact a parent for the toddler not being there.
The toddler was in a rear-facing car seat behind the driver’s seat.
The father’s shift started around 7 a.m. that morning and ended around 3 p.m.. During the shift, documents say the father always rolled up his windows before work. He would not have been able to check his car during work without permission.
During the investigation, investigators said the blowers for the vent system were found to be in the off position and the AC button had to be manually activated. Once activated, it did blow out cold air but it “did not appear to be functioning properly.”
The temperature that day reached 83 degrees that day. While replicating the conditions inside the car, investigators found temperatures inside could have reached more than 120 degrees.
Documents say the father did not notice the son in the car until he came out of the Family Fare store and placed the groceries in the vehicle.
Witnesses told officials the father was crying, sobbing, and “freaked” when he found his son in the car.
An investigator report said due to the post-mortem condition of the boy, he was believed to have died while in the car at the father’s workplace. They said he was already showing livor mortis in his arms, hands, back, and legs by the time he was found a little after 3 p.m.