Baby dies in hot car, Sydney: Police investigate whether charges should be laid on the dad

NSW Police are investigating whether charges should be laid against the father of a baby girl who died after being left inside his hot car for hours.

Olivia was found unresponsive inside the car outside Jelly Beings Early Learning Centre in Earlwood, in Sydney’s south-west, just after 5.30pm on Tuesday.

It’s understood the 14-month-old’s father, Etienne Ancelet, had arrived at the daycare to pick up his daughter, but was told she was never dropped off.

He then found Olivia inside his car where she had been mistakenly left for hours while temperatures outside exceeded 30C.

The father was taken to hospital in a state of shock before being questioned, and 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham reports police are now considering whether to lay charges.

‘A senior police source has told us “we need to work through the negligence factor before laying charges”.

‘Nobody is suggesting that this dad set out to harm his baby. He appears to be a doting dad obsessed with caring for his little girl.

‘But something went horribly wrong, and police have to assess all the factors that contributed to the fatality, and they are seeking legal advice on that front.’

There is no suggestion that the father is guilty of any offence, only that an investigation is taking place. 

At his home on Thursday morning, Mr Ancelet told Daily Mail Australia the couple were grappling with the tragic loss of their daughter.

And he said he was mystified by the previous statements attributed to him which had been made public.

‘We haven’t made any statements to the media and we’re still processing this,’ Mr Ancelet told Daily Mail Australia.

‘I would appreciate a clarification that the family hasn’t made any statements.’

It is understood that other family members issued a statement to media on Mr Ancelet’s behalf without his knowledge. 

Mr Ancelet’s heartbreaking screams rang out when he discovered his daughter in the back of the car, prompting nearby residents to rush to his side. 

They desperately tried to revive Olivia before paramedics arrived five minutes later.

‘I killed my daughter! … F*** I can’t process this,’ he yelled before he was taken to hospital suffering from shock.

Olivia was pronounced dead at the scene. The exact circumstances of what happened are still being investigated.

Roy Gomes, who lives adjacent to the daycare centre, was mowing his lawn when he heard Mr Ancelet’s cries.

‘I heard screaming and ran out and saw the father with the baby,’ said Mr Gomes, whose home is next to the childcare centre.

‘I took her off him and tried CPR for about five minutes until ambulance arrived.

‘All the neighbours were really good at putting water on her, trying to cool her down because she was obviously still very hot.

‘But she was just floppy and there was no life.’

Police established a crime scene and have started a major investigation. Detectives were seen arriving at the childcare centre on Wednesday as parents arrived to drop their kids off for the day. 

Several left bouquets of flowers at the gate and on the nature strip.

‘Leaving a child in a vehicle at any time can be dangerous,’ Superintendent Christine McDonald said on Tuesday night.

‘Once he’s able to, we’ll speak to (the father) to obtain more details,’ Supt McDonald said.

Olivia’s mother is also assisting police. On Thursday, a police spokesman said they would not be issuing any further updates on the tragedy.

Posts online show Mr Ancelet as a loving father who readily embraced being a first-time parent.

In March, he shared a photo of himself and Olivia napping together.

Alongside the image he wrote: ‘My most memorable birthday yet.’

Emergency responders who attended the ‘deeply traumatic’ incident will be offered support. 

‘I’m a mother, you can imagine how traumatic, you just – in fact, you can’t even imagine it,’ Supt McDonald said.

Kidsafe WA chief executive Scott Phillips has previously said children being left alone in hot cars has become more common, with about 5,000 children rescued from locked cars across Australia each year.

The Earlwood incident is possibly a case of forgotten baby syndrome, a worldwide phenomenon that leads to the deaths of dozens of children every year.

According to researchers at the University of South Florida, more than 25 per cent of parents with children aged under three have forgotten that their child was in the car.

If the parent has a change in their routine, they may forget their errand as their brain goes into ‘autopilot’ while travelling a familiar route. Stress and sleep deprivation may also contribute.

‘There are brain imaging studies to show that when you do something out of habit, that can actually suppress your conscious cognitive memory system and so you lose awareness of your plan,’ explained University of South Florida professor David Diamond.

Many new electric vehicles are fitted with detection systems that can sound an alarm if passengers are left locked in the car.

Some cars, such as BYD’s Dolphin model, even turn on air conditioning to ensure the passenger or pet left behind stays at a safe temperature.

Another new model, Volvo’s EX90, only allows the car to be locked if the interior radar system shows it is empty.

But some argue the technology has been too slow to roll out, and should have been in place to prevent baby Olivia’s death.  

The latest tragedy comes after the second anniversary of the death of toddler Arikh Hasan, who was left in a car for six hours on a 35C day in Glenfield in Sydney’s south-west in February 2023.

Newaz Hasan bundled his two sons into his car for the morning school run, dropping his eldest at primary school and believing he had dropped his youngest to daycare before returning to their Glenfield home to work.