A 3-year-old died and a 15-month-old is in critical condition after the children were found Monday inside a car parked outside their mother’s home in Booneville, state police said in a news release.
Their mother, 21-year-old Kaylee Petchenik, called police around 2 p.m. Monday and said her children were missing when she woke up from a nap.
The responding officer found the children unconscious lying on the back floorboard of the vehicle, according to the release.
The older child, Laykn Petchenik, was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. State police said the younger girl, Olivia Petchenik, is in “stable but critical condition” at a hospital in Little Rock, according to the release.
Special agents with Arkansas State Police are investigating the incident and will submit a case file to the Logan County prosecuting attorney for consideration.