Paul Jenkins, mayor of Bancroft, Ont., has confirmed that 23-month-old Everett Smith died last Thursday after being left in the car outside of North Hastings High School where his mother taught.
“It’s a tragic and unfathomable accident” said Jenkins.
According to the mayor, the mother meant to drop off her son at daycare before going to work as a high school teacher last Thursday.
“It’s had a huge effect on the community,” said Jenkins who’s been longtime friends of the family.
“Anyone who is a parent or a grandparent or anyone for that matter can understand how heartbreaking this is.”
Jenkins says no one noticed Everett was still in the car parked at the school parking lot on Mock Road until the end of the school day, around 3:45 p.m. Most of southern Ontario was under a heat warning that day, with temperatures reaching into the 30s. The maximum temperature recorded that day in Bancroft was 27.1 C.
OPP said in a new release last week the child was transported to the hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead shortly after.
The investigation is ongoing and involves the OPP Bancroft Crime Unit and OPP Forensic Identification Services, under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB).
Jenkins say the child’s parents – Dianna and Jason Smith – in partnership with North Hastings Children’s Services, have launched the Everett Smith Memorial Fund.
A message from the parents reads: “One look at his infectious grin and your worries would melt away. We knew his smile was meant to change the world! Tragically, Everett is no longer with us but we know that he would want to keep doing the best for his friends as he sips his milk and asks for more toppings on his toast.”
Bancroft is located 100 kilometers north of Peterborough.