Girl, 2, Apparently Shuts Self in Family Car in Extreme Heat, Dies

A toddler left unattended in her yard in El Monte apparently shut herself inside her family’s car during searing afternoon heat Saturday and suffocated, police said.

Karen Magee, 2, was playing with her 8-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother when she wandered out of their backyard in the 1100 block of Roselyn Avenue, Lt. Mark Gibboney said Sunday.

Karen’s father, Michael Magee, noticed her missing and found the toddler in the family car, parked inside the garage with the doors closed and all the windows rolled up. Gibboney said there was no estimate of how hot the car was, but temperatures in the area topped 100 degrees Saturday afternoon.

Karen’s mother, Esther Magee, a registered nurse, administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation to her daughter, who was not breathing and had no pulse, Gibboney said. Paramedics also tried to revive her.

Karen was taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital, where doctors also were unable to revive her and pronounced her dead.