Dehydrated Baby Locked In Hot Car In Moon Township
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MOON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) - A baby that was locked in a hot car was taken to the hospital on Sunday after police freed the 14-month-old child.
Good Samaritans in Moon Township called police after they say the baby was locked in a car at Moon Park for an extended period of time.
"We got a call from somebody in the park saying they found a baby left in a car and felt that it needed medical attention because it has been in the car for a while," said Moon Township Police Chief Greg Seamon.
The boy was not in a properly installed car seat and no one in the area had seen anyone approach the car.
Authorities say as that the front window of a White Nissan Maxima with Mississippi license plates was down just enough for officers to force their way in without breaking the glass.
"Once we got over there and our officers start investigating, they found out, they believe that the parents of the child may have been gone for about 40 to 45 minutes," said Seamon. "The baby appeared to be dehydrated and sweating so we called paramedics."
According to police, the vehicle was not running at the time.
As officers were tending to the child, the parents returned to the car. Police say 39-year-old Megan Anne Shayhorn and 41-year-old Matthew Keith Hogan of Ardmore, Okla., showed up after saying they were searching for a nearby restroom.
"They gave officers somewhat of an excuse, said they'd only been gone for a few minutes and they went to the restroom but after interviewing witnesses it was determined the baby had been there much longer," said Seamon.
Sayhorn and Hogan were taken into custody and charged with leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle and endangering the welfare of a child.
The infant was taken to Children's Hospital where police say they found bruising on his middle and lower back.
The baby was turned over to the Allegheny County Children, Youth and Families offices.
Shayhorn and Hogan were released from the Allegheny County Jail on non-monetary bonds. It is not clear at this time what they were doing in this area.