Police in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, have arrested an unemployed 23-year-old woman over the death of her two-month-old daughter who died after being left in a car for 5 1/2 hours.
According to police, the woman, Rie Ogawa, left her daughter in the child seat in the back of her car when she returned home at around 10 a.m. Thursday, Fuji TV reported. The car was in the apartment parking lot until 3:30 p.m., with the child in the back the whole time.
Police said the temperature on Thursday reached a high of 25.7 degrees but the car’s windows were rolled up. They said the child died of heatstroke.
Ogawa was quoted by police as saying she forgot her daughter was still in the car. When she remembered she had left her in the car, she called 119 and said her daughter was in the car and not breathing.
Police have not released any further information on what Ogawa was doing during the day.
© Japan Today
20 Comments
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nandakandamanda
Not again! How many every year? How can we stop these young tragedies?
Disillusioned
Say what? You have one job lady!
Jonorth
How can you forget your daughter for five hours?? Kids that age are usually very noticeable!
Mirai Hayashi
She's deliberately leaving something out. Either she was with her boyfriend (who isn't the child's father), or she was playing pachinko all day. Disgusting excuse for a mother
Sherman
Pachinko parlour again is my guess.
I can just imagine how this (woman) looks. Dyed hair, heels, short skirt....poor baby.
Blattamexiguus
I forgot I gave birth 2 months ago? Serious amnesia problem or what?
bizzare story even for Japan.
Something missing might be a brain cell.
No mention of the father suggests perhaps single mother.
How can she afford a car if she is unemployed?
rocketpanda
5 hours! Nobody "forgets" an infant for that long unless it was on purpose.
theFu
Yes, it is a terrible thing. She made a human mistake that will make the rest of her life full of guilt.
Cortes Elijah
Seriously.... Charge her with murder, there is no way she "forgot" her 2 month old child. From the moment my son was born I've never "forgotten" anything regarding him. This mongrel is lying plain and simple and I hope the judge realizes this.
I got no idea what she was doing for 5 hours, but she knew her precious child was all alone left to die. I'm surprised no one could hear the child crying.... or was she already dead?
I don't condone violence to humans/animals.... but this woman isn't humane. She went against all naturual caring instincts and destroyed a life.
Lock her up still she dies of old age.
DaDude
The only way a 2 month old girl is away from her mom for that amount of time is she is already in nursery school or being babysat. This was a deliberate act by the mother and I hope she faces the consequences.
therougou
How do you know she will feel guilt? How do you even know it was a mistake for that matter?
Naumov Danila
AGAIN! It has everything to do with morality and responsibility culture in the society for growing generations. Alas, the time of multidirectional freedom brought upon lack of basic human decency. This can not be changed by condemning every one of them when it happens. As far as I am concerned, there is no "awareness rising" campaign going on a national level as of now. Until then, countdown starts anew...
pacint
'Forgotten Baby Syndrome' happens globally.
https://www.bundoo.com/articles/forgotten-baby-syndrome-why-parents-leave-children-in-hot-cars/
Plenty more online.
Of course not an excuse but is a recignised condition.
Strangerland
Yep. But posters here will claim she killed her baby on purpose, ignoring the reality that forgetting a baby does actually happen. Same as people forget to turn off stoves, burning their house down, or leaving their door open, and their house gets robbed. Sometimes people have absent minded moments.
Andrew Crisp
This has happened in Australia a number times - mostly they were in playing poker machines so its a good guess that in this case the mother was in a pachinko parlour
Toasted Heretic
What on earth have the person's looks, dress sense or shoe wear got to do with this tragedy?
Noliving
So far she sounds attractive.....
Only when they are crying.
Giveme_abreak
I think we are entitled to our own opinion anyway, that's what add comment is all about.
I just don't buy it! call me judgmental but I think she did it on purpose knowing how lenient the punishment for this kind of cases. Infants needs to be fed every 2 hrs! diaper change by the hour! If she's at home (like she say) wouldn't she be wondering why the house is so quiet?