Boy, 3, dies in scorching hot 31C car after step-mum forgets to take him to nursery

A three-year-old boy was found dead in the back of his step-mum’s car, after she allegedly forgot he was asleep in the back seat during 31C heat.

Miguel Antunes Versari’s dehydrated body was left in the red Chrysler for more than 10 hours. His mum’s partner had reportedly forgotten to take him to nursery school when he fell asleep in the car.

She was meant to drop him at nursery for 7am, in Videira, Brazil, on April 25. But, after dropping her wife – Miguel’s nurse mum – off at work, she forgot about the boy, and left him in the car.

She only found the boy’s body in the car after preparing to collect him from nursery.

The outside temperature in Videira was about 31C during the heat of the day. Inside a hot car in those conditions, the mercury could hit more than 57C – similar to a warming oven.

Police opened a suspicious death investigation and were quizzing Miguel’s stepmother.

A police spokesperson said the day after the heartbreaking discovery: “Yesterday, she said that the child had flu-like symptoms and was medicated with ibuprofen.

“So he was not as active as usual and was sleeping in the back seat of the vehicle.

“After leaving her partner at work, she did not realise that the child was sleeping.”

Police were waiting for an autopsy report to reveal exactly how the boy died, and were analysing CCTV footage from around the family home.