Woman charged after boy dies in hot car in Toronto

A 50-year-old woman in Toronto had a court appearance Friday morning to face charges in the death of a four-year-old boy found in a hot car.

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Police say Zeljna Kosovac, 50, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death.

The woman was initially described as a nanny and a babysitter, but her connection to the boy remains unclear. Toronto police Const. David Hopkinson told The Canadian Press the woman was tasked with dropping the child off at a daycare facility.

The charges were laid after the boy was found unconscious in the back seat of a car outside an apartment building in west-end Toronto early Thursday afternoon.

CTV Toronto reported that a cleaning crew visiting the building noticed the child. It’s not known how long he had been in the car.

The boy was removed from his car seat after the vehicle’s windows were broken. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition where he was pronounced dead.

The temperature in the city reached 26 degrees Celsius on Thursday afternoon, according to Environment Canada, though the temperature inside the car would have been much higher.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Friday.