Sibling discovers missing 3-year-old dead in van during heat advisory, sheriff’s office says

PEGRAM, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) - A 3-year-old boy who went missing Tuesday afternoon has been found dead, according to authorities in Tennessee.

The 3-year-old boy was reported missing from a home on Navaho Trail in Pegram around 1 p.m. after an adult woke up from a nap and was unable to find the child.

Police were called at approximately 4 p.m. Cheatham County deputies arrived and learned that one of the child’s young siblings had found the 3-year-old in a broken-down van on the property.

Cheatham County law enforcement believes the 3-year-old got into the van by himself but could not get out. He was found shortly after 4 p.m., but it remains unclear how long he had been in the vehicle.

“It doesn’t run, but it just sits on the property, but somehow the child got into the van, was able to shut the door behind him. We don’t think the child was able to get the door open once they got inside,” Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Shannon Heflin said.

Authorities did not specify a cause of death but noted the extreme heat in Middle Tennessee at the time.

“As hot as it is outside today, there’s no telling what the heat index inside that vehicle was,” Heflin said. “This is a very tragic incident that happened here today.”

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory earlier Tuesday for Cheatham County and surrounding areas, warning the heat index could have reached 109 degrees.

That advisory is in effect until Friday night.

Heflin said the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and the district attorney’s office will be involved in the ongoing investigation.

“The most important thing here today is to educate the general public about how hot it is out here today. Make sure you don’t leave a child inside your vehicle. This can be the result. Very tragic,” Heflin added.