DAILY DILEMMA: A Mother’s Worst Mistake
A Georgia mother went to work and, according to police, forgot her 1 year old son was strapped into the back seat. Nearly nine hours later, a coworker saw the child slumped inside the locked car. Police say the temperature was 117 degrees an hour after a window was broken and the baby was removed.
Now 29 year old Deja Coleman is charged with second degree murder and second degree cruelty to children. She has not been convicted. And this is where the story gets complicated.
Her attorney says Coleman was not out partying or being reckless. He says she was a sleep deprived single mother working hospital shifts, caring for a teething baby, a 4 year old and an autistic 6 year old. He also says she was living in a protective shelter after leaving an abusive relationship. That comes from her defense, but it matters when people ask whether this was murder or a terrible human mistake.
Before you say, “I could never forget my child,” look at the numbers. Since 1998, more than 1,060 children have died from heatstroke in vehicles. The average is 37 children a year. This boy was listed as the 17th hot car death of 2026, and 34 children died this way in 2025.
About 53 percent of these children were forgotten by a caregiver. Nearly 24 percent got into a vehicle on their own, while about 22 percent were knowingly left inside. More than half of the victims were under 2 years old. When a caregiver forgot a child, about 47 percent were supposed to be dropping that child at daycare or preschool.
And Houston, we need to pay attention. Texas recorded 155 child hot car deaths from 1998 through 2025, the highest total in the nation. Georgia recorded 43.
Nobody is saying this mother should walk away. A baby is dead. But should an exhausted parent who made an unimaginable mistake be treated the same as someone who intended to harm a child?
That is the hard question. Is losing her son punishment enough, or should she also lose her freedom?
