The father of the toddler found dead in a hot car is charged

The father of the toddler who was left inside a hot car in Burlington last week is now facing charges.

Police were called to a building on North Service Road around 5:30 last Wednesday evening. Police say the three-year-old child was inside an SUV and was pronounced dead on scene.

37-year-old Shaun Pennell of Burlington has now been charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessaries of life.

The SUV was in the parking lot of a building that’s home to a Christian media group and other businesses. The preliminary cause of death was determined to be hyperthermia, consistent with the child being left in a vehicle and exposed to high temperatures for an extended period of time.