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White Dad ‘Forgot’ He Left His Adopted 1-Year-Old Black Daughter In His Car For So Long She Died

The young girl's adopted mother later discovered her in the vehicle, which reached an internal temperature of 120 degrees.

A 1-year-old girl has died after she was left in her adopted father’s car.

Katera Barker, who is Black, died last Wednesday (May 23) in Nashville, Tennessee after her white adopted dad, Matt Barker, left her in his truck and took a ride sharing service to the airport for a business trip.

According to The Tennessean, police say Barker dropped off Katera and her five-year-old sibling at daycare on Wednesday morning but didn’t realize the youngest was still in the car until after the drop-off.

Unknowingly, he drove home and the young girl was still in the car as he parked it at around 8 am. That’s when he departed on the business trip in a different vehicle.

Katera’s adoptive mother, Jenny Barker, discovered her daughter near death that evening when she went to pick the children up from daycare and was told Katera was never dropped off. The mother then called 911 at around 5:42 pm and raced back home.

Barker arrived home before paramedics, pulled the girl out of the car, and performed CPR on her. Katera was then taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Matt Barker immediately flew back to Nashville upon hearing of Katera’s death. On Wednesday in Nashville, the National Weather Service claims temperatures reached a high of 89 degrees, which could’ve totaled nearly 120 degrees in the vehicle.

So far, no charges have been filed in the case.

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