A four-year-old girl spent eight hours inside a minivan left alone in a Milwaukee tow lot after police impounded the vehicle but didn’t see her in the back seat.
Officers arrested a woman for drunk driving near Milwaukee’s Jackson Park late Monday night, and removed a 10-month old child from the minivan. But the four-year-old was left in the vehicle when it was impounded, WTMJ reported
The girl was rescued after a police officer who was on duty at the impound lot heard her crying for help.
“Apparently the girl was very upset and crying, something that none of us would like to have happen to any of our children,” public works commissioner Jeff Polenske said Tuesday.
Polenske said a public works employee had also looked inside the vehicle with a flashlight when it arrived at the lot, but didn’t see the child.
“We want to make sure this never happens again,” he said. “If there’s something more that we can be doing, more thorough exam of that vehicle, we will be doing that in the future.”
The temperature fell to -7 degrees Celsius overnight in Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Police Department said on Tuesday that they are seeking criminal charges against the driver.
They said they are “grateful that the child was located unharmed,” but stopped short of taking any responsibility for the mishap.
In a statement, police said they “will provide additional information” in the coming days about their investigation.