A 10-month-old baby who was left in a hot vehicle for nearly two hours Tuesday outside a Jennings restaurant where the mother was working has died.

The baby was pronounced dead around 11 p.m. Wednesday in an area hospital, according to Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes.

At this time, no charges have been filed against the mother who told authorities she accidentally left the child alone in the car after she was called into work at a local restaurant on Tuesday.

An investigation into the incident is continuing and information is still being gathered, Semmes said Thursday.

“Our office is gathering hospital records, video surveillance and other pieces of evidence, including the mother’s cell phone, and will continue to investigate this matter,” he said.

The Jennings Police Department is being assisted in the investigation by the Jeff Davis Parish District Attorney’s Office and Department of Children and Family Service.

The mother, who has not been publicly identified by police, took the baby to Ochsner American Legion Hospital in Jennings on Tuesday afternoon after discovering the child was still in the back seat when she went to leave for work. Hospital staff stabilized the baby before transporting it to an out-of-town hospital in critical condition.

The mother told police that she was called into work Tuesday and had forgot to drop the baby off at a babysitter. She did not realize the baby was still in the back seat until she went to leave work nearly two hours later, Semmes said.

Temperatures in Jennings on Tuesday hovered in the mid-to-upper 90s with triple-digit heat indices. A car can heat up by 20 degrees and become deadly for occupants in only 10 minutes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Kids and Car Safety reports that at least 20 hot car deaths involving children, including the death of a 6-month-old in Baton Rouge in July, have occurred in the United States this year.

Children safety advocate groups recommend that parents and caregivers place an item you can’t start the day without – like a cell phone, shoe, purse or other item – in the back seat and put a visual reminder like a diaper bag, toy or other item in the front passenger seat.

Parents and caregivers are also encouraged to routinely check the back seat and door every time they park a vehicle.