A witness outside a Titusville Petco called 911 after spotting a baby girl alone in a parked car, covered by a blanket, red-faced and sweating, according to police. Officers who responded found the vehicle's door unlocked, opened it and checked on the child, and arrested two adults on child-neglect-related charges.
Police identified the pair as 28-year-old Ethan Humes and 26-year-old Zoey Conner, according to WESH, which reported the incident happened outside the Petco at 3055 Columbia Boulevard. The outlet reported that surveillance video showed the infant had been left inside the vehicle for more than 20 minutes. Emergency medical personnel evaluated the infant at the scene but determined no further medical care was needed, and the Florida Department of Children and Families was notified before the child was safely released to a parent, WESH reported.
Conflicting Accounts of the Charges
Accounts of the exact charges differ. WESH reported that Humes was charged with child neglect and leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle, with his bond set at $2,750, while Conner was charged with child neglect, with bond set at $2,500. FOX 35 Orlando, however, identified both Humes and Conner as accused of child abuse without great bodily harm.
Under Florida law, child neglect is defined broadly. Florida Statute 827.03, maintained by the Florida Legislature, covers a caregiver's willful failure or omission to provide the care, supervision and services necessary for a child's physical and mental health, and the law states that neglect may be based on a single incident that causes, or could reasonably be expected to cause, serious injury or a substantial risk of death. The statute classifies willful or culpably negligent child neglect without great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement as a third-degree felony.
What Officers Are Allowed to Do
Florida law also addresses children left unattended in vehicles under a statute maintained by the Florida Senate.
Part of a Troubling Statewide Pattern
The Titusville case adds to what has been a grim year for hot-car incidents involving children in Florida. As of Aug. 12, Florida led the nation with five child hot-car deaths in 2026, according to the News-Press, which also reported that 18 children nationwide had died after being left in hot vehicles by that date. The National Safety Council estimates that an average of 37 children under 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle, the paper reported.
The danger can build fast. About 80% of the increase in a vehicle's inside temperature happens within the first 30 minutes, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has said a car's interior can turn deadly for a child in less than 30 minutes even on a mild 72-degree day. Since 1990, at least 1,180 children have died in hot cars nationwide and at least 7,500 more have survived with varying degrees of injury, according to data from Kids and Car Safety.
In the Titusville case, the infant was ultimately evaluated and found not to need further medical care before being handed back to a parent. The episode is a reminder of how quickly a routine errand can turn dangerous, and why passersby who notice a child alone in a car are increasingly being credited with preventing far worse outcomes.
