Mom Got ‘Extremely Intoxicated’ on Her Birthday, Then Allegedly Slept, Left 1-Year-Old Girl in Hot Car: Police

The 20-year-old mother allegedly left her daughter alone in a hot car while getting out of one car and into another vehicle that was not hers, say police.

Knoxville County Sheriff's Office

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A Tennessee mother allegedly left her 1-year-old in a hot car for two hours with a heat index of 88 degrees, say police

Police allege the mother had been extremely intoxicated and unconscious in another vehicle, before abandoning her child

She faces multiple felony charges, including child abuse and neglect, after the alleged Aug. 17 incident in Knoxville

A Tennessee mother is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly leaving her 1-year-old child in a hot car for hours on Aug. 17, officials say.

Court records allege the child was left alone in the vehicle from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., when the heat index was 88 degrees and humidity was 72 percent.

In a statement to PEOPLE, the Knoxville Police Department said they responded to a complaint and found Taylor sleeping in a vehicle that did not belong to her. Officers then learned that Taylor had allegedly been picked up by an acquaintance earlier on the morning of Aug. 17.

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After being picked up, Taylor allegedly was unconscious in the vehicle with her daughter inside, according to police.

“At some point, Taylor allegedly got out of that vehicle and into another one, leaving her daughter unaccompanied in the unoccupied vehicle for at least a couple of hours,” police told PEOPLE in a statement.

Officials also alleged that Taylor was allegedly extremely intoxicated when she had her 1-year-old daughter with her.

When police first made contact with Taylor, she said it was her 20th birthday and that she had become “extremely intoxicated” and did not remember how she got into the vehicle which did not belong to her, police said, 11Alive reported.

Officials confirmed to PEOPLE that Taylor was charged with child abuse, neglect and leaving a child in a vehicle unattended.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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