Police said the 7-month-old girl was left in a closed vehicle for about two and a half hours in Vernal.
VERNAL, Utah — A Utah father was arrested after police said his 7-month-old daughter died after being left for more than two hours inside a parked vehicle with its engine off and windows closed.
Tommy Dean Platero, 34, was booked into the Uintah County Jail for investigation of child abuse homicide following the girl’s death Tuesday, according to the Vernal Police Department. The infant was pronounced dead after Platero brought her to Uintah Basin Medical Center. Police said the investigation remained active, and the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death.
According to a police booking affidavit cited by Utah news organizations, Platero told investigators he left a residence in Vernal intending to take his daughter to day care before going to work. Police allege that he forgot to stop at the day care and instead drove to a building on North Vernal Avenue while the girl remained secured in a car seat.
The affidavit states that Platero entered the building shortly before 1 p.m. and did not remember the child was in the vehicle until about 3:30 p.m. He then ran outside and found her unresponsive, investigators said. Platero drove the infant to the hospital, where medical workers pronounced her dead.
The vehicle had been turned off, and its windows were raised while the girl was inside, according to investigators. Police estimated that she had been left unattended for about two hours and 30 minutes. The affidavit states that the outside temperature was approximately 92 degrees during that period.
Investigators estimated that temperatures inside the vehicle reached between 131 and 151 degrees. The affidavit also listed the infant’s internal body temperature at the hospital as 109 degrees. Those figures are part of the preliminary police investigation and do not represent a final medical finding from the medical examiner.
Police said the child was unable to free herself from the car seat. The booking affidavit alleges that Platero acted recklessly and contributed to her death. An arrest and booking allegation do not establish guilt, and information about any formal criminal charge filed by prosecutors was not available in the reports reviewed Friday.
Platero was identified by local news organizations as an employee of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Police said the vehicle was parked outside a workplace on North Vernal Avenue. Authorities had not announced that anyone else was suspected of involvement.
The Vernal Police Department expressed condolences to the infant’s family and thanked other agencies that helped with the investigation. Authorities did not publicly identify the girl and released few details about her family or the events before Platero arrived at work.
The infant’s remains were sent to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner for further examination. Police said the case remains under investigation, with any formal charging decision expected to rest with prosecutors after they review the available evidence.
Author note: Last updated July 31, 2026.