Dad Won't be Charged in Deaths of Twins He Forgot in the Car

A South Carolina dad whose twin sons died after he forgot them in a hot car will not face charges for the incident.

Brycen and Brayden McDaniel were found dead inside a car outside the Sunshine House Early Learning Academy in Blythewood, South Carolina, on September 1. The 20-month-old twins died of heat exposure after their father -who has not been identified- forgot to drop them off at daycare and left them trapped inside his car.

Father Was “Under Pressure”

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the father worked at a manufacturing plant and had been experiencing “intense pressure” prior to the accident. Lott said:

"The father was under some intense pressure at work that really had his mind somewhere else that day," Lott said. "In his mind, he really believed he dropped the two boys off at daycare. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd done that."

The man worked a full shift before driving back to the daycare to pick up the boys. Workers told him the twins were not there. He returned to his car, finding the lifeless bodies of both boys in their car seats in the backseat of the car.

He tried to perform CPR on the twins but they were already deceased.

“He didn’t mean to do it. God, he didn’t mean to do it. He’s got to live with that the rest of his life,” Sheriff Lott stated. He went on to state that the raw emotions the dad showed that day were not fake and that he was certain that he unintentionally left the kids in the car.

The heat index reached 120 degrees inside the car on that day. The twins likely died shortly after their father went inside to work. The deaths were ruled accidental, the cause of death listed as hyperthermia.

More Than 20 Child Deaths in Hot Cars in 2021

More than 20 children have already died from heat exposure in 2021 after being left inside of a hot car. Most of those deaths occur as the result of carelessness or negligence on the part of the caretaker, most often parents.

In August 2021, a 5-year-old Springfield, Virginia girl died after she was left inside of a hot car for “several hours.” Police say the girl and several other children were picked up by a parent. The other children got out of the car, but the 5-year-old did not. This case is currently under investigation. Temperatures hit the upper 90s in Northern Virginia that day.

A 1-year-old Texas infant passed away on September 9 after her mother left her in the backseat of the car. The woman dropped two older kids off at daycare but forgot to drop the third off. The infant was discovered in the car later that evening. She was pronounced dead by first responders.

Authorities have yet to announce if this mother will face charges in the death.

Tips to Help Prevent Child Car Deaths

Tips from KidsandCars.com can help prevent needless deaths. Tips to keep your kids safe against a tragic incident:

• Never leave kids alone in a vehicle, even with a cracked window. It takes just 10-minutes for the temperature to rise inside of a car and cracking the window does not mitigate the temperatures. Kids have died inside of hot cars when outdoor temperatures were as low as 60 degrees.
• Place a purse, wallet, diaper bag or another item of importance by the car seat to remind you the child is in the backseat
• Ask your school or daycare provider to notify you any time that your child is not at school or daycare as scheduled.