BENJAMIN SEITZ - 15 months (7/2014) - Ridgefield CT

Police: Dad parked vehicle at work with son inside

Associated Press
4:57 p.m. CDT July 9, 2014

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. (AP) - Police say the father of a 15-month-old Connecticut boy who died after being left in a car on a hot day was supposed to drop his son off at day care but went to work and left his son inside the parked vehicle.

Ridgefield police identified the boy Wednesday as Benjamin Seitz.

Police say the father drove his son to the hospital after finding the boy in the vehicle.

Ridgefield Capt. Jeff Kreitz said Tuesday the boy had been left inside the car Monday for an "extended period of time." Police say they're still trying to determine exactly how long.

Authorities say the cause of death has yet to be determined.

The family lives in Ridgefield, near the New York line. The temperature approached 90 degrees in western Connecticut on Monday.

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/09/connecticut-hot-car-death-baby-dad/12429855/

Ridgefield mourns, debates death of toddler

Evan Fallor
Published 12:24 am, Saturday, July 12, 2014

RIDGEFIELD -- The death of 15-month-old Benjamin Seitz has stirred up a flurry of emotion and an array of opinions on a case with many loose ends.

Since the boy's death Monday, after his father left him in the car for what police called "an extended period of time," residents have turned to the Ridgefield community page on Facebook to mourn him and debate whether his father should be held accountable.

The group, with more than 5,000 members, is open to current and former residents and those with strong connections to the town. In one long thread of nearly 100 comments, many poured out their grief and sadness.

"Rest in peace Benjamin," one person wrote. "You will be missed."

"Sending prayers to the Seitz family," wrote another.

But others questioned the actions of Benjamin's father, Kyle Seitz, on that day. Kyle Seitz was to have dropped his son at day care the morning but apparently forgot Benjamin in his car seat.

Sources have told Hearst Connecticut Media that Kyle Seitz did not realize his son had been in the car all day until he went to the day care center at the end of the workday. He then drove immediately to Danbury Hospital, without calling 911, and Benjamin was pronounced dead about 6 p.m. at the hospital.

Police have been tight-lipped about the case and have refused to discuss potential criminal charges. But some commenters on the Facebook page suggested charges might be appropriate.

"I'm sorry to say this, but multiple mistakes were made," one commenter wrote. "Various law enforcement agencies need to investigate, and Department of Children and Families as well. Yes, it's a tragedy. But let's be honest with each other about what happened, and what needs to happen."

"It's so easy to condemn," another writer responded. "I am sure that the father is being far harder on himself than you were on him. There is no need to pile on and condemn a family which is suffering tremendously."

That view was echoed by many commenters.

"I have 5 kids," one said. "Whereas I could never imagine it happening to me, I am honest enough to say, that it's possible."

"Can't agree on that one," responded the next commenter. "I also have five children and NEVER once did I leave them alone in a car for any reason. With all the publicity about this lately you would think parents would be even more in touch with this sort of thing. I feel sadness for all those involved but you just don't take it upon yourself to drive an obviously sick child to a hospital 30 minutes away. This sickens me."

Many group members said it is better to withhold judgment for now.

"At this point, I think the most productive thing we can do is step back and examine our own lives instead of wagging fingers," wrote one.

State Rep. John Frey, R-Ridgefield, who is a co-administrator of the Ridgefield page, said a friend of the Seitz family called him Friday morning.

"They said the family wanted to express their thanks to the Ridgefield community," Frey said. "They're not longtime residents, so they really appreciate the community's embrace of them the past few days.

"I personally think it's absolutely heartbreaking and it's every parent's worst nightmare," added Frey. "You can't put it into words."

Services for Benjamin are planned for 3 p.m. Sunday at Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church in Ridgefield. A spokesman for Kane Funeral Home said the service is to be a "celebration of life," not a funeral, and the online obituary asks that attendees wear summer colors instead of black.

Neither the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner nor Ridgefield police would comment on the case Friday. Police have said they will take no action regarding criminal charges until the cause of death has been determined, which could take several weeks.

http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Ridgefield-mourns-debates-death-of-toddler-5616685.php

Woman Forgives Husband After Baby Boy Left in Hot Car Dies

By John Christoffersen
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 • Updated at 3:05 PM EDT

A Connecticut woman whose 15-month-old son died this month after her husband left him in a car on a hot day says she forgives him.

Lindsey Rogers-Seitz, of Ridgefield, says that her husband, Kyle Seitz, was extremely distraught after bringing their son to a hospital.

Rogers-Seitz, who also has two daughters, said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press that her family is grieving together.

Police say the father was supposed to bring Benjamin to day care but went to work and left his son inside the car on July 7 for "an extended period of time."

A police investigation is continuing. The official cause of death has not been determined.

Rogers-Seitz declined to discuss details, citing the ongoing investigation. She said she is starting a website in her son's memory to raise awareness of the problem.

More than three dozen children die of hyperthermia in cars annually in the United States, and since 1998 more than 500 children have died in hot cars.

Heatstroke can happen when the temperature is as low as 57 degrees, and car interiors can reach well over 110 degrees even when the outside temperature is in the 60s.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Father-Left-Baby-Boy-Hot-Car-Death-Ridgefield-Connecticut-Seitz-269060571.html

Death of CT baby left alone in car ruled homicide

POSTED 10:04 AM, AUGUST 22, 2014,
BY CNN WIRES

Ridgefield, CT (WFSB) — The office of the chief medical examiner has ruled the death for a toddler that was left in a hot car in Ridgefield last month a homicide.

Police said 15-month-old Benjamin Seitz died after being left alone in his father’s car.

Kyle Seitz, who is the child’s father, was supposed to drop the child off at daycare, but instead went to work at a medical arts building on Grove Street.

When he eventually found the baby boy in the car, he drove the child to Danbury Hospital. However, Benjamin was pronounced dead.

Benjamin’s death was ruled a homicide with the cause of death being “hyperthermia due to environmental exposure.”
It is not clear how long the child was left alone in the car for.

Despite the ruling, Quinnipiac University law professor William Dunlap said not to read too much into it.

“That does not necessarily mean it’s a crime. What it means is that it was not natural causes, it wasn’t an accident,” Dunlap said. “If there is evidence that he did this intentionally, he could be charged with murder.”

Kyle Seitz has not been charged in the incident as of Thursday. Eyewitness News has reached out to the Ridgefield Police Department on Thursday and it released the following statement.

“After speaking with the Danbury State’s Attorney’s Office we were asked not to comment further on this case due to the fact that the investigation is ongoing,” the statement read.

State’s Attorney for Judicial District of Danbury Stephen J. Sedensky III also said in a statement on Thursday that his office “will have no comment on the status or details of the investigation including the autopsy report.”

“The autopsy report is one factor to be considered by the state’s attorney in the evaluation of the incident once the investigation is complete,” the statement went on to say.

This is a case that has drawn national attention in a summer where deaths in hot cars made headlines in part because Benjamin’s mother, Lindsey Rogers-Seitz, spoke out in recent weeks in hopes of raising awareness about heatstroke deaths.

Rogers-Seitz told CNN and The Associated Press that she stands by her husband and has started a blog in honor of her son in hopes of reminding other parents to be more careful.

The child advocacy group known as KidsAndCars.org stated that 18 children have already died in hot cars in 2014, according to a report released at the end of July.

The group has also started a We the People petition drive on the White House petition website. To sign it, click here.

The Connecticut State Police have recommended the following tips for preventing one of these incidents.

http://fox2now.com/2014/08/22/death-of-ct-baby-left-alone-in-car-ruled-homicide/