Not National News, but a local story....
http://abc11.com/news/mom-of-durham-girl-found-in-van-it-was-an-accident/1492645/DURHAM (WTVD) -- The family of a 3-year-old Durham girl who died inside a hot minivan this week spoke about the incident Wednesday, calling it an accident.
Leslie Ramirez died Monday night after being found in the van just off Hearthside Street, steps from her home in the Unity Village neighborhood.
During a news conference Wednesday morning, her family talked about their grief and what they say happened.
A family chaplain speaking on their behalf said the girl's mother, grandmother and five children had returned home after eating out and didn't realize the 3-year-old was left behind in the vehicle.
Since police are still investigating the incident, the family gave few details on exactly what happened.
However, the girl's mother, father, and other family members were obviously grief-stricken as they talked outside their apartment on Hearthside Street.
RELATED: Questions linger as Durham mourns young girl found in van
Leslie's mother, Rocio Murillo, said in Spanish "I love my daughter" and that nobody wanted this. Her family says Leslie had autism.
Leslie's grandmother told ABC11 that her daughter thought the 3-year-old was sleeping in her room.
When Leslie's father arrived home Monday evening, he found the girl alone in the van and pulled her out, trying to revive her. But it was too late.
While an autopsy is pending, neighbors who saw the girl after she was pulled out of the vehicle say it looked like she had suffered heat-related injuries.
A memorial with teddy bears and candles is currently outside the home where the van was located.
Leslie is the second child in the state this year to die after being left in a car.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family to help pay for funeral expenses.
A couple of comments that stood out to me....
@hairhattedhooligansmustdie
Welcome to the new money hustle- murder a child, call it an accident, Go on TV and shed some crocodile tears, then ask for money.. I bet there is a go-fund me page ready to take donations to bury this poor young girl. Hopefully there will be charges coming.. there is NO excuse for murdering this young girl
@JoanFess Ding ding ding. The magic words came out. "Financial help". If you watched the videos you'd see why that's shocking. Mom is walking around with an iPhone 6 while there are brand new cars in the drive ways. This is your typical "I need assistance" family. We foot the bill for the parents responsibility, while they use their money on luxuries
@Hipster Cabbie Sami
Liberal Logic- "Oopsie, what a mistake, no criminal charges necessary, the family has suffered enough"
Or is it Minority Privilege?
As a part-arab cabbie, I don't want to hear it :-)
There's so many things at play here. Is it minority privilege that mom wasn't arrested ? I should note, Durham is a sanctuary city, and voted overwhelmingly liberal for those who don't know. More example of liberal media bias by letting them make a plea for financial assistance? Another interesting and sad fact is the child that died was autistic. I can only wonder if she was continuously neglected. Mom says she has 4 more children.
