Deja Coleman, a 29-year-old Atlanta nurse, has been granted a $5,000 bond after being charged over the death of her 16-month-old son, Daniel, who died after being left in her car for at least seven hours on 29 July. She pleaded not guilty at a Gwinnett County court hearing on Wednesday, telling the judge she needed to be freed to care for her other two children, aged four and six, the younger of whom is nonverbal and has special needs. The case has drawn attention because prosecutors allege Coleman was directly reminded about the missing toddler by a daycare worker but failed to act, while her defence insists the death was a tragic accident rather than intentional harm.

Prosecutors said Coleman dropped her two older children at daycare, was asked by a staff member where the toddler was, and replied she would bring him in shortly, yet never did so before driving on to her job at Northside Hospital while reportedly on FaceTime. The child was found dead in the backseat around eight hours later by a hospital employee, with the car's interior measured at roughly 117°F after doors had been open for 30 minutes, and paramedics estimating it had reached about 130°F beforehand. Judge Tamela Adkins ruled Coleman was not a flight risk, placing her under house arrest with an ankle monitor, barring her from driving her children herself, though she may ride with them if another licensed, insured adult drives.