Cause of death for Caldwell infant left in car to be released next week - East Idaho News
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Cause of death for Caldwell infant left in car to be released next week

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CALDWELL — A spokesman from the Canyon County Coroner’s Office said Tuesday that it will be roughly another week until an official cause of death can be determined regarding a 5-month-old infant who was left in a hot car for several hours.

Kyrae Vineyard was found unresponsive and without a pulse after police and first responders were called to the 4000 block of Cleveland Boulevard around 4 p.m. Saturday after being advised that a baby was left unattended in a vehicle.

The child was taken to a local hospital and declared dead. An autopsy on the infant was completed Tuesday morning, but a spokesman for the coroner’s office confirmed that the county is waiting on lab test results to confirm a cause of death.

The child’s mother, Elisa Johnson, told KTVB-TV that her boyfriend was watching Kyrae while she was at work. She said he was signing papers for a new car at a dealership when he lost track of time, leaving the 5-month-old in a hot car with the windows rolled up.

“That’s the only way I can put it is he killed my baby. He took her away from me,” Johnson told the news station.

KTVB-TV reported that Kyrae’s father, Gavin Vineyard, lives in eastern Idaho and was there when the incident took place on Saturday.

“It’s the worst pain you could ever imagine. It seems like there’s never going to be a day where it’s going to be easy,” he said. “I’ll never understand.”

Johnson and Vineyard could not be reached for further comment Tuesday.

Caldwell police say they have spoken to witnesses and individuals involved in the incident and are waiting on a coroner’s report before determining whether to recommend charges to the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

A GoFundMe account has been started to help cover funeral expenses for Kyrae: www.gofundme.com/giving-kyrae-a-beautiful-funeral.

This article was originally published in the Idaho Press-Tribune. It is used here with permission.

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