Police say Tommy Platero, a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources employee, left his baby daughter to die in a hot car while it was sitting in a parking lot of a Utah Department of Natural Resources building like the one seen here (KSTU/YouTube).
A Utah father left his 7-month-old daughter to burn up and die in a hot car with the windows rolled up and doors locked after forgetting to take her to daycare, police say.
Tommy Platero, 34, is facing a charge of child abuse homicide after leaving his daughter in the car for more than two hours on Tuesday afternoon before finally remembering she was inside, according to the Vernal Police Department.
"On July 28, 2026, the Vernal Police Department responded to a local hospital following the death of a 7-month-old infant," a VPD post on Facebook says.
"The preliminary investigation determined the child had been transported to the hospital by her father after he discovered she had been left unattended inside a vehicle for a substantial period of time with the windows up," the post alleges. "Upon realizing what had occurred, the father found the child unresponsive and immediately transported her to the hospital."
An arrest affidavit says Platero's daughter had a "recorded internal temperature of 109 degrees Fahrenheit" before she died. The car she was left in reached temperatures as high as 151 degrees, according to the affidavit.
Platero, who is a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) employee, told police he left a residence in Vernal "with intentions of taking the child to a daycare" but he "forgot to take the child to the daycare," the affidavit alleges. Police say the incident happened in a UDWR parking lot.
"The child was not able to free themselves from the car seat," the document says. "Tommy's actions recklessly contributed to the death of the child. The child was left inside of a vehicle which was shut off for approximately (2 hours and 30 minutes). The windows to the vehicle were up. The outside temperature was approximately 92 degrees Fahrenheit."
Platero told police he was inside a building on North Vernal Avenue when he "realized he left the child in the vehicle," according to the affidavit.
"When Tommy parked the vehicle, the vehicle was shut off, windows up, and most likely locked," the affidavit says. "He ran to the vehicle around 3:30 p.m. and noticed the child was still in the vehicle. Tommy saw the child was not blinking or breathing and there was foam on the child's mouth."
Platero was arrested and booked into the Uintah County Jail, where he was waiting to be formally charged.
VPD officials extended their "deepest condolences" on Facebook to the "family and loved ones affected by this tragic loss."
The department added, "We also express our sincere appreciation to our partner agencies for their assistance and professionalism throughout this difficult investigation."
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