L. NAZARETH TWP., Pa. – Authorities have filed criminal charges against the father of a 14-month-old baby girl who was found dead in the back of his car in Lower Nazareth Township on June 11.
Daniel Moist, 38, is charged with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children, recklessly endangering another person, and leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, according to court paperwork.
He was arraigned Friday morning.
The Northampton County District Attorney’s Office will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. Thursday to discuss the case.
According to court paperwork, Moist had dropped off his seven-year-old daughter at Pen Argyl High School for a sports camp and was supposed to drop his 14-month-old daughter off at a daycare center.
Instead, he drove his car with his daughter inside it to the lot of a company on Sterner’s Way in Bethlehem where he worked, authorities said in court documents.
He left his daughter in the car from the time he arrived at work around 9:50 a.m. until he received a phone call from his wife shortly after 4 p.m., court documents say. Authorities said Moist returned to his vehicle and found that his 14-month-old daughter was dead.
According to court paperwork, Moist immediately left the parking lot and drove towards a hospital. Moist called 911, and a dispatcher told him to pull over so that EMS could respond to his location, authorities said.
He parked in the lot of ID Logistics on Hanoverville Road and waited for police and EMS, authorities said in court documents.
A representative from ID Logistics said none of their employees or known affiliates were involved.
Court documents say a blood test revealed that Moist had active ingredients of marijuana and inactive metabolites of THC in his system.
Moist faces a preliminary hearing on July 15.