Coroner: Indiana toddler suffocates under SUV’s folding seat

Credit: Drew Angerer

Credit: Drew Angerer

An Indiana toddler died Sunday after her parents folded the rear seat of their SUV without realizing the girl was there, WRTV reported.

Grant County Coroner Chris Butche said 20-month-old Khloe Villarreal died in her parents’ Lincoln Navigator. The parents were helping a relative move and left the child sleeping in a third-row seat, Butche said. Khloe’s mother pressed a button to make the seat automatically fold up so she could load the SUV, not realizing her daughter was in the car, WRTV reported.

Butche said there was miscommunication between the parents about the whereabouts of the girl and realized 10 minutes after they finished loading the card that Khloe was missing, WRTV reported.

By the time the parents found Khloe, she had already died, WRTV reported.

The Grant County prosecutor will determine if any charges will be filed in the case, WRTV reported.

About the Author