SC man left infant in hot car, police say. Now he might go to prison for life

A Florence man is accused of killing his child by leaving him in a vehicle.

Brandon Scott Coward, 36, was arrested by the Florence County Sheriff’s office after his seven-month-old son passed away in a hospital. The sheriff’s department says Coward left his son, Dean Emerson Coward, in a hot vehicle for an extended length of time.

Authorities responded to a call about an unresponsive child at Coward’s home Thursday at about 5:30 p.m., according to a police statement. When deputies arrives the infant was already being transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The Florence County Coroner Keith Von Lutcken identified the perished child as Coward’s son and ordered an autopsy to be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina.

The father is charged with homicide by child abuse which is punishable by 20 years to life in prison. Coward is held in the Florence County Detention Center pending a bond hearing.

South Carolina leads the nation in children dying from being left in cars, according to Kids and Cars, an organization that tracks such deaths.

In 2018, five children have passed away stemming from heat-related injuries caused by being left inside a vehicle. Texas is behind South Carolina in these kinds of deaths with four children passing away this year.

Another South Carolina child died from being trapped in a car two days before fathers day.

This story was originally published September 7, 2018 at 5:01 PM.