Inset: Linda Stevens (Putnam County Sheriff's Office). Background: The library where Stevens allegedly left an infant in a hot car in Monterey, Tenn. (Google Maps).
A Tennessee woman is behind bars after she left an infant to die in a hot car for hours, Volunteer State law enforcement says.
Linda Stevens, 69, stands accused of criminally negligent homicide, the Putnam County District Attorney's Office announced this week.
In a press release, prosecutors alleged the defendant "did unlawfully and negligently kill" 7-month-old Gabrielle Alonzo.
The underlying incident occurred on April 15, outside the Monterey Branch Library on East Commercial Avenue, which is part of the Putnam County Library System. A 911 call was placed about an unconscious child in a car, the Monterey Police Department said.
Officers arrived around 4 p.m. on the day in question and found the child deceased, according to law enforcement.
Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris said attempts to perform CPR were unsuccessful, according to Nashville-based ABC affiliate WKRN.
Investigators say Stevens secured "the child and his car seat in the backseat of her vehicle" and "secured the car seat with the belt buckle" and had plans to drop the boy off at daycare "but she did not."
"Once secured in the vehicle, Linda Charlene Stevens drove to the public library in Monterey…where she worked," the press release reads. "She entered the building and began her work day."
The child is alleged to have languished in the car for some eight hours.
"She left the child secured in her locked car from 8:00 am until approximately 4:00 pm. when she received a telephone call from a family member asking about the child's whereabouts," the DA's office said.
The defendant has been described as the child's foster grandmother.
Farris said the baby's foster mother sent him along with Stevens so he could be dropped off at day care, according to WKRN. When the child never arrived, however, the day care called the foster mother who then reached out to the defendant. That's when the horrific realization hit.
"This is a devastating tragedy," the sheriff said. "We are thoroughly investigating the circumstances regarding this incident. As temperatures rise, please take a moment and always check your vehicle. A simple check can save a child's life."
The defendant was originally detained in the Putnam County Jail on $50,000 bond – which she subsequently posted – and was released on Friday afternoon, jail records show.