Heartbreaking details have been revealed in court following the deaths of two young children who were accidentally left in hot cars by their parents, who believed they had dropped them off at daycare. The children, identified only as AN and OVA, died in separate incidents in Sydney's southwest during summer between 2023 and 2025. An inquest into their deaths has called for childcare centres to notify parents of any unexpected absences.
OVA's Tragic Death
OVA was 14 months old when she was bundled into the car by her parents in early 2025. The family was running late, and OVA's father was described as being "frazzled" after dropping the girl's mother off at the train station for work. The man intended to drop OVA off at daycare shortly after but instead drove straight home and logged onto work remotely, unaware that his daughter remained in the car.
Staff at the childcare centre were "confused" when he arrived about 5:30 pm to pick up his daughter. The man rang OVA's mother and ran back to the car, realising his daughter had been in there all day. "He was screaming. He got her out of the car and tried to wake her up," NSW Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking said during her findings handed down on Monday. "An ambulance was called but it was too late."
The coroner found OVA died as a result of heat exposure after being accidentally left in the car. Her parents described their life without the young girl, their first child, as like a "door with no handle — they can press their hands against it but it never opens." "OVA lived her life with spark in her eyes and a smile on her face," Ms Hosking said. "(She) looked at the world as if it was on the verge of surprising her."
The findings stated OVA's family was under significant stress at the time, and the young girl's mother had found it strange the childcare centre had not provided updates throughout the day, assuming they must have been busy. "On reflection, OVA's father reported that after dropping OVA's mother off at the train station, 'just muscle memory drove (me) back home'," Ms Hosking stated. "As far as he was 'mentally' aware, when he arrived home, he thought he had dropped OVA off. He drove home on 'autopilot'."
AN's Similar Tragedy
The inquest also examined the death of a three-year-old, known only as AN, who died in near-identical circumstances in early 2023 on a day when temperatures reached a maximum of 31°C. AN's father, who described his son as a "magnetic force," had also driven straight home that morning instead of dropping his son off at childcare due to a "memory lapse." As in OVA's case, the route home was similar to the way he would have driven after dropping his children off.
AN's father drove home after getting petrol and began his workday as his son, likely asleep, sat in the back seat. Nearly six hours later, the father picked up his other child from school and went to a nearby shop, screaming for help when he found AN in the back seat. He began CPR and splashed water on AN, who was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after by paramedics.
"In his statement to police, AN's father recalled, 'I thought I dropped him off, I didn't … I was not thinking … I opened my computer and started working'," Ms Hosking read out. "I couldn't believe my eye … I don't know, I did it." Ms Hosking added that AN's death "continues to be mourned by his family and community who loved and cherished him." "(AN) was happy and wanted those around him to be happy. His father described him as a 'magnetic force' that could attract people quickly," she said. AN's father said he "cannot believe what happened" and "it does not make sense how it could happen to him, an obviously loving father."
Coroner's Recommendations
Ms Hosking accepted that both fathers believed they had dropped their children off. Among her recommendations is a call for childcare centres to automatically notify parents if their children are unexpectedly absent and for the introduction of a new system requiring parents to similarly notify daycare centres if their children will not be attending that day. She also recommended the expansion of public safety awareness campaigns, including promotion of how easily memory failures can occur in parents. Ms Hosking said campaigns should include a suggestion for parents to place one of their child's essential items on the front passenger seat as a cue to help avoid memory lapses. Information on memory failure in parents and "cues" should also be included in the Blue Book, an informative booklet given to parents following the birth of children in NSW.
Ms Hosking made the same recommendations in both cases, recounting an expert's opinion that "these are circumstances which can occur to the most caring, loving parent, of which all of them were in this case."
