A 10-month-old girl has died after being left in a hot car for approximately eight hours, authorities said. The infant, Scottie Gwyn Crowell, was discovered strapped in her car seat in the vehicle of her grandmother, Stacey Fazenbaker, 61, outside Owensboro Health Multicare in Madisonville, Kentucky.
Fazenbaker, a family doctor at the practice, had been asked by her daughter, Sydni Crowell, an OB/GYN, to take Scottie to daycare on Thursday morning. According to police, Fazenbaker picked up Scottie between 6:45 a.m. and 7 a.m. but then drove to her workplace, forgetting the baby was in the back seat. The temperature that day reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Discovery and Investigation
No one realized Scottie had not been dropped off at daycare until her father, Micah Crowell, arrived at the facility around 4 p.m. He contacted his wife, who then called Fazenbaker. Emergency services were called, and attempts were made to revive the infant, but she was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Miles away, Fazenbaker realized her mistake and rushed to her car with colleagues. "She (Fazenbaker) ran outside with some co-workers to get the child. But it was far too late by then," Madisonville Police Major Jason McKnight told reporters. Officers, paramedics, and the fire department arrived shortly after.
Police have stated that the investigation is ongoing. Detectives are gathering video footage, interviewing coworkers and daycare staff, and reviewing phone records to determine the exact circumstances of the incident. Fazenbaker underwent a blood test for drugs and alcohol, the results of which are pending, though police do not anticipate a positive outcome. An autopsy has been performed on Scottie.
Family and Context
Stacey Fazenbaker had moved to Madisonville about a year prior to be closer to her daughter, Sydni Crowell, and her grandchildren. Scottie was born on September 20, 2025, via in vitro fertilization after her parents experienced difficulty conceiving a second child. Her parents, Sydni and Micah Crowell, have two children, including Scottie's three-year-old brother.
Scottie's funeral is scheduled for Thursday at Barnett-Strother Funeral Home, with the family requesting donations to a memorial fund in lieu of flowers.
While no charges have been filed against Fazenbaker, police indicated that charges, potentially including neglect or manslaughter, could be sought before a grand jury, depending on the investigation's findings.
Hot car incidents, where children die from heatstroke after being left in vehicles, occur with tragic frequency in the United States. According to No Heat Stroke, an average of 37 children die in such incidents annually. Children's body temperatures rise three to five times faster than adults, and heatstroke can begin when a body temperature reaches 104 F.
Experts note that parents and caregivers can sometimes operate on autopilot, leading to a dangerous lapse in awareness that a child is present in the vehicle. Advice for preventing such tragedies includes placing a reminder item, such as a toy, in the front seat or putting essential items in the back seat next to the child. Police also recommend keeping vehicles locked at all times to prevent accidental entry by children.