Child Identified In Hot Car Death In West Haven, Probe Continues

WEST HAVEN, CT — The identity of a 4-year-old child that died after being inside a hot car Thursday afternoon has been identified. At a Friday afternoon press conference, West Haven Police said the victim is Dusan Jenkins, who died at an area hospital after being taken from the scene at 2 Treat Street.

Dusan's brother, Davion Jenkins, 2, remains in the hospital and is being treated Friday afternoon, police said, adding that the fact the child is being treated is "good news."

Police released few details about their investigation Friday afternoon but they did say that "at this time it does not appear the children were left in the car." Police didn't elaborate or say how the boys got inside the vehicle.

Police also said the boys were "inside the vehicle for a period of time," but couldn't say for how long as of yet.

The father's involvement in this case is "unknown at this time," police said. Police have obtained video footage from the apartment complex and detectives are currently reviewing it. Officials declined to state what was shown on the video.

The incident is under investigation and no one has been charged as of yet. The assembled media asked several questions about the status of the investigation and each time were told it's an "active investigation."

Mayor Nancy Rossi told the Hartford Courant Friday that Davion is expected to recover.

“There’s a lot of sadness and anger here in West Haven right now,” Rossi said via the Hartford Courant.

The 911 call was placed around 3 p.m. Thursday by the father. The children were not inside the vehicle when police arrived. Police told WFSB 3 TV that it would have felt like 99 degrees in the car Thursday afternoon.

In Connecticut leaving a child unattended in a car could result in a felony charge under state law, which is one of the toughest laws in the country. A Good Samaritan law offers protection to people who might rescue kids from hot cars. There have been five previous child vehicular heatstroke fatalities in Connecticut between 1990 and 2017.

There are on average 37 hot car deaths a year across the country. The last hot car death involving a child in Connecticut occurred back in 2014 when Benjamin Jacob Seitz, the 15-month-old son of Kyle Seitz and Lindsey Rogers-Seitz, of Ridgefield, passed away on Monday, July 7, 2014 after his father accidentally left him in the back seat of his car on a hot summer day.

West Haven police ask anyone with information on tonight's tragedy to call Detective Suraci at 203-937-3927.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for more updates.

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