An investigation is underway after the toddler was discovered deceased in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday, Feb. 4, authorities confirmed
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(672x413:674x415):format(webp)/ambulance-stock-020425-a2c0a015f997421eb5ca36b3138115f4.jpg)
An investigation is underway after a 1-year-old girl was found dead in a car outside a daycare center in Australia.
On Tuesday, Feb. 4 at around 5:35 p.m. local time, emergency services responded after the child was “located unresponsive in a vehicle outside a childcare center on Marana Road, Earlwood” in Sydney’s Inner West, New South Wales (NSW) Police Force said in a release.
“NSW Ambulance paramedics attended but the child – a 1-year-old girl – was declared deceased at the scene,” police added in the post.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(666x531:668x533):format(webp)/emergency-vehicle-red-light-020425-6eb38a38f9784e9fb01d8a8c642ffd10.jpg)
The release confirmed, “Officers from Burwood Police Area Command have established a crime scene and commenced an investigation.”
“A male occupant of the vehicle — believed to be related to the child — is assisting with inquiries at Burwood Police Station,” NSW Police stated.
Authorities said there was “no further information available at this stage.”
NSW Police had no additional updates to add when contacted by PEOPLE.
While speaking at a news conference on Tuesday evening, local superintendent Christine McDonald said that amid the early stages of the investigation, police believe the baby “was left inside the vehicle for an extended period of time.”
McDonald confirmed a male occupant of the vehicle had been taken to hospital “suffering shock” and was “currently being assessed,” adding that the man was a “direct relative of the baby,” and that police would speak to him “to obtain more details.”
The cause of death is currently unknown and will be determined by the coroner, but McDonald said they believed the baby had been left in the vehicle “on a very hot day in Sydney.”
“Leaving a child in a vehicle at any time can be dangerous, leaving a child inside a vehicle for an extended period of time can be deadly,” she added.
“This is an absolute tragedy, the death of a 1-year-old baby girl,” McDonald continued, adding that support services were available to anyone affected.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), temperatures reached almost 30 degrees Celsius (around 86 Fahrenheit) in the neighboring Sydney suburb of Canterbury at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.
