LYNNWOOD — The infant who died Monday after being left in a car for seven hours was identified as Joshua Michael Dela Cruz, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner said.
The cause of the 1-year-old’s death is “pending further study,” the medical examiner said.
Joshua’s mother was arrested and briefly jailed Monday night for investigation of second-degree manslaughter.
The Everett woman, 21, told Lynnwood police detectives she left Joshua unattended in a car at 7 a.m., Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.
The woman worked at the Sunrise of Lynnwood nursing home, and her car was in the parking lot. Outside temperatures Monday reached 69 degrees at Paine Field.
When the mother returned to her car at 2 p.m., she found Joshua unresponsive and rushed him indoors to summon help.
Efforts to revive the child were unsuccessful, Sessions said.
The mother was booked into the Lynnwood city jail and immediately released on her own recognizance as the investigation continues.
It is against state law and Lynnwood municipal code to leave a child under 7 unattended in a vehicle. Somebody at least 12 must be present.
People are charged with second-degree manslaughter in cases where prosecutors believe the death was the unintentional result of negligence. The state must prove recklessness in first-degree manslaughter cases.
Joshua’s mother has not been charged.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com
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