A three year-old boy died after his ‘neglectful’ parents left him in a roasting car and went to bed for 15 hours, investigators believe. Bentley Fowler is believed to have been left in the car by his mother Brandi Burks, 21, and her partner Dakota Fowler, 20, between 11:30pm on Saturday night and 3pm the following day.

The pair, from Hodges in Alabama, are believed to have fallen asleep for 15 hours, and discovered Bentley unresponsive shortly after waking the following afternoon.

Outdoor temperatures in Hodges, Alabama, where the family lived rocketed to 98f (36.6c) that afternoon. On discovering Bentley still in the car, they his parents dialed 911, but efforts to save him proved unsuccessful and he was declared dead at the scene.

Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said: ‘The father and mother of Bentley Fowler gave statements that led investigators to determine that they may have forgotten about Bentley being in the vehicle when they arrived home from a friend’s house around the hour of 11:30pm the night before

‘Given the high temperatures of the day, and being shut up in a hot vehicle, it is believed that the 3-year-old boy, Bentley Fowler, succumbed to the high temperatures that would have elevated the temperature inside the vehicle.’

Sheriff Oliver told the Times Daily his investigators believe Bentley died as a result of his parents’ neglect. He said Fowler and Burks initially lied to investigators and claimed to have put Bentley to bed around midnight after arriving home.

The toddler’s mother and father have both been charged with manslaughter, and are being held in jail ahead of their next court appearance.

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