Nanny Charged After Miracle 2-Year-Old Was Allegedly Left To Die In Hot Car
Demi Petrowski gave birth to her daughter, Zariah Hasheme, after six miscarriages and now has to cope with the death of her beloved child.
A New Mexico nanny who allegedly left a 2-year-old girl to roast to death in a hot car after forgetting to drop her off at day care is facing child abuse charges, authorities said.
Zariah Hasheme had arrived into the world after her mother endured six miscarriages.
"I remember praying every single day, nonstop," Demi Petrowski told Albuquerque station KOB 4.
But on Sept. 17, Demi and her husband Zachary lost their long-sought-for child.
"I hear Demi screaming on the other line saying that Zariah's dead and I didn't know what to do," Zachary told the station, recalling the moment he learned their miracle Zariah had taken her last breath. "I slammed on my brakes and pulled over."
Hobbs Police investigators arrested and booked Tammie Brooks, 41, for leaving the toddler to die alone in a car seat parked near North Turner Street in Hobbs, New Mexico for several hours, according to an official police statement.
The police say Brooks picked up Zariah at around 6:30 a.m. and was tasked with driving her to day care.
However, Brooks allegedly “drove to her place of employment instead,” the statement reads.
A 911 call was placed at around 1:30 p.m. that Tuesday from a woman claiming she had accidentally left a child in her vehicle for a long stretch of time, according to KOB 4.
"I mean, you can forget to bring a pen with you, but it's kind of hard to forget about a kid in the car," the deceased girl's father, Zachary, told KOB 4.
The police allege in their statement that so much time had already ticked away until Brooks, who was “running an errand,” realized Zariah was still in the car.
The cause of Zariah’s death will be determined once an autopsy by Albuquerque's Office of the Medical Investigator in concluded.
Brooks faces charges of abandonment or abuse of a child resulting in death, police confirmed.
On Monday, the nanny was released from Hobbs City Jail on an unsecured bond, a jail official confirmed to Oxygen.com.
Meanwhile, the mother, who lost her only child, is hoping other families never experience her devastation.
"Always look at the backseat of the car, and if there is a child in there or you hear a child screaming, please just, you know, help," Demi told the station. "As for day care centers, if you know a child is not there at their appointed time, please contact the parents or someone on the emergency list right away."