A hospital employee in Georgia has been charged with second-degree murder after authorities say she allegedly left her 1-year-old son inside a hot vehicle for nearly nine hours while she worked at the facility, only to discover upon returning that the child had died.
Deja Coleman, 29, was arrested Thursday following the death of her infant son at Northside Hospital Gwinnett in Lawrenceville, Georgia—approximately 30 miles east of Atlanta. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released an official cause of death, according to police records.
Background
According to Lawrenceville Police Captain Dena Pauly, Coleman had followed what she described as her normal routine on Wednesday morning: arriving at the hospital around 6:55 a.m. after first dropping off her two older children at daycare. The mother told investigators she intended to return to retrieve the infant from his car seat following the daycare stop.
"Unfortunately, yesterday morning, she forgot to make that second trip to the car," Pauly said during a Thursday press conference streamed by Fox affiliate WAGA.
Coleman parked her vehicle in the hospital parking lot and entered for her shift. Police have not disclosed her specific role at Northside Hospital Gwinnett, citing an ongoing personnel investigation separate from the criminal case.
Captain Pauly elaborated on circumstances that may have contributed to Coleman's routine: one of her other children "has some medical needs that require special attention," which is why she always chose to transport that child to daycare first. The infant was typically the second stop, according to investigators.
"She forgot," Pauly recounted, describing Coleman's explanation during her formal interview with detectives. "She was devastated. She was devastated."
The Investigation
At approximately 3:50 p.m.—nearly nine hours after Coleman parked—someone called 911 after discovering a child unresponsive in the back seat of a locked vehicle. The caller reported banging on the window without receiving any response, according to police dispatch records.
Officers arrived within three minutes and broke a window to gain access to the infant. Despite their efforts, "the baby was deceased at that time," Pauly confirmed.
Investigators ran a registration check on the vehicle and identified Coleman as its owner. She was located inside the hospital, informed of the situation, and transported to the Gwinnett County Police Department for questioning before being taken into custody.
About an hour after rescuers removed the child from the vehicle—with one window still broken out—police recorded an interior temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit. The National Weather Service had issued excessive heat warnings for the Lawrenceville area on Wednesday, with ambient temperatures climbing into the upper 90s.
Coleman was booked into the Gwinnett County Detention Center where she remains held without bond pending a first appearance hearing. Court records indicate she has retained private counsel.
Key Takeaways
- Deja Coleman, 29, has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children following the death of her 1-year-old son at Northside Hospital Gwinnett in Lawrenceville, Georgia
- Police say Coleman allegedly left the infant in her vehicle for nearly nine hours while working her shift at the hospital
- Responding officers found the child deceased inside the locked car at approximately 3:50 p.m. Wednesday after a bystander called 911
- Investigators recorded an interior temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit about an hour after the child's removal from the vehicle
- Coleman's other children have been placed in the custody of their father, who shares parenting time under a court order
- A preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled in Gwinnett County Superior Court
What's Next
Coleman is expected to appear before a Gwinnett County magistrate within 72 hours of her arrest for an initial bond hearing. The case will likely be presented to a grand jury for indictment consideration, as second-degree murder charges in Georgia require grand jury authorization under state law.
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office told CrimeBytes it expects to complete an autopsy report and official cause of death determination within four to six weeks. That finding could potentially affect the prosecution's charging decisions, according to legal analysts familiar with heat-related child death cases.
Northside Hospital has not commented publicly on Coleman's employment status or whether internal HR protocols were followed regarding her schedule that day. A hospital spokesperson said only that the facility is "cooperating fully" with law enforcement.