A six-year-old girl, Winter Jones, died on 13 August after being left in a hot school bus parked outside a Tennessee daycare facility. Three daycare staff members have been charged in connection with her death: bus driver Tametria Norry, assistant director Sabrina Powe, and daycare assistant Amilya Hardin. The case highlights a complete breakdown in child safety procedures, with all three staff members admitting they failed to conduct mandatory vehicle checks despite falsely recording that they had done so.

Winter, a non-verbal autistic child, was not removed from the bus after it arrived at school. She was discovered at approximately 3:20 pm with a core body temperature of 42.8°C (109°F), whilst external temperatures reached 35°C (95°F) with a heat index of 39.4°C (103°F). The bus driver later told police she had skipped the mandatory vehicle check because she was uncomfortable in the heat. All three have been charged with aggravated child neglect and criminally negligent homicide, and have pleaded not guilty. The daycare permanently closed and surrendered its licence the following day after inspections found five violations of state transport regulations.