Mother accused of leaving 4-year-old girl in hot car while she shopped

MESA, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — A woman is facing a felony charge after police in Arizona said she left a 4-year-old girl in a hot car while she was in a store during extreme heat on Saturday.

Court documents said two people saw the girl locked inside the car alone with the windows rolled up and the engine off at around 7:45 p.m. at the shopping center located near Stapley Drive and Southern Avenue in Mesa.

The two called police for help.

When officers arrived, the mother, identified as Nicole Dawn Yazzie, came out of a store, unlocked the car and opened the right rear passenger door, according to court records.

An officer saw the girl inside sweating profusely, and she was removed from the car.

Court documents said the young victim was disoriented, pale and appeared to have urinated on herself. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and long cotton pants, the officer described.

It was 110 degrees outside, and police calculated it was 129 degrees inside the car, court paperwork said.

The child was given water and medical attention on the scene. She was then placed into an air-conditioned police car.

Documents state that Yazzie intentionally placed the girl in the car because she didn’t want to go into the store. She also allegedly admitted to not turning the car on because “she didn’t want her daughter to drive away,” police said.

Yazzie said she knew it was wrong to leave her daughter in the car, according to court documents.

Yazzie was booked on one count of child abuse. Her bond was set at $15,000.

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