3-Year-Old Dies After Playing in Hot Car

A 3-year-old South Carolina boy is dead after being trapped in a car for what his family believes to be no more than 30 minutes. But unlike other recent cases making headlines, that of Logan Cox didn't include a car ride—and exposes another danger cars can present to children in summer. NBC Charlotte reports that the family was napping on Wednesday—his grandfather says the boy and his mother were on the couch in front of the TV, and his wife was in a bedroom—when Logan apparently left the house and got into the car, along with his dog. Logan's mother thinks she was asleep no more than a half-hour before waking up and finding him gone, WSOC reports.

She eventually noticed her car's blinkers were flashing and found him, trapped and unconscious, in the car; the dog was dead. The grandfather suspects the time that elapsed was even less: "Anywhere from 15, 15 to 20 minutes, if that." He tells the Herald Online that the car was locked but the child had learned how to unlock the doors; he suspects the door was too heavy for Logan to push open once inside. The boy was rushed to the hospital, where he was found to have suffered from heat stroke. Though the family told NBC Charlotte they expected him to be out of the hospital today, he died yesterday. WCNC reports Wednesday was the hottest day of the year. The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office and Department of Social Services are investigating. (More child dies in hot car stories.)