Police said the 1-year-old remained in a hospital employee parking lot for about nine hours while his mother worked.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia mother has been charged with second-degree murder and child cruelty after police said her 1-year-old son died in a locked vehicle outside the hospital where she worked.
Deja Coleman, 29, was arrested Wednesday after officers responded shortly before 4 p.m. to Northside Gwinnett Hospital in Lawrenceville, according to police. Investigators said the child had been inside the vehicle since Coleman arrived for work shortly before 7 a.m. Coleman has been charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree cruelty to children. The charges are allegations, and the case has not been decided in court.
A hospital employee returning to a nearby vehicle spotted the boy slumped in his car seat at about 3:50 p.m. and called 911, police said. Officers working at the hospital reached the employee parking area within minutes, broke a window and removed the child. First responders attempted lifesaving measures, but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lawrenceville police Capt. Dena Pauly said Coleman told investigators that she had taken her three children to daycare that morning. She brought her two older children, ages 6 and 4, into the daycare but did not return to the vehicle for her youngest child, police said. All three children normally attended the daycare.
Investigators said Coleman then drove to the hospital and entered the building for her work shift. Surveillance footage showed her arriving in the employee lot at about 6:55 a.m., police said. The boy remained restrained in the back seat until the hospital employee noticed him nearly nine hours later.
Police measured the temperature inside the vehicle about an hour after the child was removed. Despite the broken window, the temperature was 117 degrees, Pauly said. The measurement was taken after officers had already opened the vehicle, not while the child was inside.
Pauly said Coleman appeared devastated after learning that her son had died. Authorities have not released the boy’s name. Police also have not announced an official cause of death, and no additional findings from the medical examiner had been made public as of Friday.
Coleman was taken to the Gwinnett County Detention Center following her arrest. Police said her two older children were placed in their father’s custody. Publicly available reports did not identify an attorney representing Coleman or provide details about an initial court appearance.
Second-degree murder under Georgia law can apply when a person allegedly causes the death of another person while committing second-degree cruelty to children, regardless of intent to cause death. Prosecutors must prove the elements of the charges in court, and the filing of a murder charge does not establish guilt.
The investigation remains active as authorities await any additional medical and forensic findings. Police had not announced further arrests or released information about Coleman’s next scheduled court proceeding by Friday.
Author note: Last updated July 31, 2026.