A two-year-old girl has died after being left in a car during extreme heat in Hallandale Beach, Florida, and her family have publicly blamed the babysitter they had entrusted with her care. The child, Brittany Nicole Láinez Lopez, was left in the back of a vehicle for almost three hours on a day when temperatures reached nearly 101F (about 38C), highlighting the deadly danger of leaving children unattended in hot cars.

According to the girl's mother, Ovilia Cristina Lopez Ramirez, her only child was collected by the babysitter's father, who reportedly suffers from dementia, and left inside a 2012 Honda Odyssey from around 9am until nearly 1pm while she was at work. The mother said she had entrusted Brittany to a paid babysitter with whom she had previously had no problems. The child was taken to hospital by those involved and pronounced dead. Hallandale Beach Police said the babysitter was responsible for the child at the address where she was left.