Woman says she slept as child died in locked car

OROFINO, Idaho – A woman whose 15-month-old step-grandson died after being locked for hours inside a parked car with its windows up has told police she forgot about the youngster after going inside a male friend’s house and falling asleep.

Rita Johnston, 33, has been arrested for investigation of involuntary manslaughter and felony injury to a child.

The child, who had been in the parked car for more than five hours with the temperature topping 95 degrees, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to court records. The boy’s name wasn’t released.

Johnston told Orofino police officers she parked the car between 1 and 2 p.m. Wednesday and went inside a residence to visit a friend, according to documents filed in 2nd District Court.

“Johnston said she had forgotten about the infant in her vehicle and at some point fell asleep inside the residence,” according to a probable cause affidavit. “Johnston said when she woke up she still did not remember that there was a child in her vehicle.”

After learning the baby was dead, Johnston became distraught and was unable to communicate further with authorities, police said.

A man at the residence told police Johnston said nothing about the child when she arrived and that she had fallen asleep, police Officer Jeremy Adams wrote in his report.

Clearwater County Coroner Tom Atkinson conducted a preliminary investigation and determined the child’s death was consistent with heat stroke.