The Broward State Attorney’s Office is reviewing the circumstances to determine whether charges are appropriate in the death of a 2-year-old girl who was left inside a 2012 Honda Odyssey in Hallandale Beach on Sunday.

It is unclear how long the toddler had been in the minivan at a residence on Northwest Seventh Avenue before being driven to a nearby hospital. Hallandale Beach police arrived at the hospital about 1:35 p.m. Sunday when the young girl had been pronounced dead, said Hallandale Beach Police spokeswoman Grace Mariot.

“Detectives continue to gather and review evidence, and the investigation remains active,” Hallandale Beach Police said in a statement released on Wednesday.  “No charging decision has been made at this time.”

The girl had been in the care of a babysitter at the time. On Sunday, Hallandale Beach temperatures reached 93 degrees. But due to the high humidity, heat index values (or “feels like” temperatures) across South Florida peaked between 103 and 108 degrees in the afternoon, according to AccuWeather.

Across the U.S., criminal charges are made in roughly 50% to 60% of cases, according to Kids and Car Safety, an advocacy group working to minimize child hot car deaths.

Amber Rollins, executive director of Kids and Car Safety, says that the vast majority of these child hot car deaths involve loving, attentive caregivers.

In Florida, prosecutors have discretion based on the circumstances. Some state attorneys view the child’s loss as a punishment far worse than prison and choose not to file charges. Others pursue charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child (a first-degree felony carrying up to 30 years in prison) or child neglect, arguing that forgetting a child constitutes culpable negligence, according to Florida statutes.

The child’s death was the second in a week in South Florida and the fourth in Florida in 2026. On June 29, an 18-month-old boy was found dead in a car outside an early childhood education center in Plantation. The investigation is continuing.

South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.