A Louisiana father has been charged with murdering his 21-month-old daughter, who reportedly died in a hot car on Sunday, June 8.
Local news outlets reported that a family member discovered the girl after she was left in a parked car in Madisonville for nine hours.
St. Tammany Parish police determined that the girl’s father, Joseph Boatman, 35, arrived to pick her up from a relative’s home, but he instead strapped her into a car seat and entered a nearby residence. Instead of removing her from the car upon arriving at the residence, he failed to return from the residence and left her in the car overnight.
Boatman was charged with second-degree murder, as police believe he had several alcoholic drinks before picking up his daughter. It is unclear why Boatman strapped his daughter into the vehicle and then left.
“The child was buckled in the car seat as best as they could tell around 2:30 in the morning on Sunday,” she said. “Then a family member located her there around noon.” The family member then called 911 after finding the child unresponsive.
“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”
Boatman’s daughter is reportedly the fifth hot-car death this year. According to No Heat Stroke, 39 children died in hot cars in 2024. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office is expected to conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
