A Madison Heights man is facing charges after making the fatal mistake of leaving a 2-year-old strapped in a car for over 8 hours on Thursday.
Amherst County Sheriff L.J. Ayers described a bizarre series of events that led to the discovery of 2-year-old Hudley Hamlett’s lifeless body.
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Brian L. Dalton, Hamlett’s guardian, strapped the boy into a car seat Thursday morning and drove to work in downtown Lynchburg—without dropping the child off at daycare. After working a full day, Dalton returned to his vehicle, drove to the daycare center on South Amherst Highway, and went inside to pick Hamlett up. Staff informed him the child had never been dropped off.
At that point, Hamlett was found unresponsive in the vehicle. Ayers said the emergency call came in at 3:42 p.m.
“As a police officer, we see and touch things that humans should never have to do in a lifetime. And yesterday was truly one of those days.”
Sheriff Ayers
“First responders did everything they could to put life back into that child,” the sheriff said. Hamlett was transported to Lynchburg General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:40 p.m.
Dalton was arrested at the scene and charged with child abuse and involuntary manslaughter.
“The investigation continues but there is no evidence to prove that this was an intentional act,” said Ayers.
Still, the sheriff expressed disbelief at the circumstances: “How you forget that a child is in the car with you, you forget to drop them at daycare, then you go into work and forget they’re in the backseat of the vehicle restrained in their car seat—we don’t know…That’s questions that remain for us as well,” he said during a Friday press conference.
As of that time, Dalton remained in custody at Blue Ridge Adult Detention.
Hamlett’s body was sent to the medical examiner’s office, but the cause of death had not yet been determined.
Ayers noted that Hamlett, who was in foster care at the time of his death, had faced many challenges in his short life. However, there was no record of abuse by Dalton.
The sheriff added that Dalton has been cooperative and shown remorse, along with a range of other emotions. But even if the incident is ultimately deemed an act of irresponsibility, Ayers said, Dalton will be held accountable.
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