BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C – Five months after the death of a toddler inside a hot car at Bishop England High School on Daniel Island, Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell has ruled the death as accidental.
The coroner’s office, the Charleston Police Department, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division conducted an in-depth investigation. All agencies involved determined that “this was a very tragic accident.”
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As a result, no criminal charges will be pursued, according to the Charleston Police Department.
Hartwell said the investigation revealed that the mother, an employee of the school, arrived at work around 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 25, 2023 with the child properly restrained in the car seat.
The woman’s daughter, 16-month-old Hannah Chappell, was found unresponsive in the backseat of the vehicle around 4 p.m.
An autopsy conducted the next day determined that the elevated heat temperatures contributed to the Chappell’s death.
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