An investigation is underway and police are considering charges after a two-year-old boy and a dog were found in an unattended vehicle in the Masonville area on Saturday.
They were spotted by passersby sitting in a utility vehicle in the parking lot on the northwest corner of Fanshawe Park Road and Richmond Street, outside the Sport Chek store.
Police say they received a 911 call around 3:30 p.m. after people became concerned about the well-being of the two.
A witness who did not want to be identified says two women got out of the vehicle and went into the store and that’s when she noticed movement in the back of the vehicle.
“The kid was visibly sweating so obviously we started to panic, a bunch of us were running in and out of the store trying to find the mother. We told the Sport Check employees, they made an overhead page, still nobody came.”
Emergency personnel attended and police unlocked the vehicle through a half-open window. The two-year-old was assessed by EMS, but did not require further medical attention.
“The kid was a bit hesitant to go towards the men at first but then realized who they were and smiled and kind of embraced them. The dog was very lethargic, refused water until you actually scooped it into its mouth.”
The witness also says the child was in the car for about 30 minutes, though police could not confirm how long he was there.
The child’s mother and a friend returned to the vehicle a short time later and the child was reunited with his mother.
London police Const. Ken Steeves says “It’s rare that we get a call in relation to children being left unattended in vehicles.”
Police say charges they are considering could include child abandonment. The Children’s Aid Society has also been notified about the incident.
They are also reminding the public that not only is recent hot weather a risk if you leave a child unattended in a vehicle, but it also increases the possibility of an abduction.
