A Florida man is facing a manslaughter charge after authorities say his 8-month-old son died in a mobile home where the temperature reached 109 degrees.
William Francis Hendrickson, 25, was arrested Thursday at the King's Manor Mobile Home Park in Largo, near Tampa, according to a news release from the Largo Police Department.
Officers were called to the home to perform a welfare check on Hendrickson's son and his 2-year-old daughter. Once there, they found the 8-month-old unresponsive.
An officer immediately began CPR on the boy before paramedics arrived and continued resuscitation efforts, officials said. But the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hendrickson's daughter was suffering from severe dehydration and was taken to a hospital in St. Petersburg, police said.
Police said Hendrickson had been previously told by social services not to leave the children in the hot bedroom. Detectives recorded the temperature in the bedroom at 109 degrees at 1 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.
Hendrickson was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter for his son's death and child neglect for the condition of his daughter, police said. He was booked into the Pinellas County jail where he was being held on $150,000 bond Friday, records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.
Local
"The Largo Police would like to remind citizens of the dangers of Florida's high temperatures in confined or poorly ventilated spaces, especially for children, the elderly, and those with special medical concerns," the department said in a statement. "Be aware of the signs of dehydration, heat stress, and heat stroke and take steps to prevent them."
