EXCLUSIVEMystery as adorable boy, 2, is found dead in hot car - but police say they don't believe youngster was left in vehicle
An adorable two year-old toddler was found dead in a hot car outside his Georgia home - but police say they do not believe he was left in the vehicle by accident.
Jacob Eliel Vieras, 2, died after being left inside a vehicle 'for an extended period of time' on Tuesday night, according to a Cobb County Police spokesperson.
Shortly before 7pm, police had responded to the address and said that the toddler was rushed to hospital - but he did not survive.
On Wednesday, local police announced that it was too early in the investigation to say if anyone would face criminal charges in connection with the death of Vieras.
They also said that there was no evidence to suggest that the youngster was left inside the vehicle.
Jacob Eliel Vieras, 2, died after being left inside a vehicle 'for an extended period of time' on Tuesday night
Shortly before 7pm, police had responded to the address and said that the toddler was rushed to hospital - but he did not survive
No further details or theories have been offered on how Jacob might have ended up in the car where he was found dead.
Writing on a GoFundMe page set up to pay for the toddler's funeral, a friend of the tragedy described Jacob's passing as an 'accident,' but did not elaborate further.
The fundraiser said: 'My brother Noel just lost his 2 year old son in a accident and the family didn't have insurance to Bury him.
'I'm asking and praying the people here can help raise this for the family. It is a very tough time for them.
'He was [an] amazing out going kid that loved his dad very much.'
With a goal set of $7,000, the fundraiser has already managed to raise over $6,000.
According to an obituary for the boy, Vieras is survived by his parents Jose Noel Viera and Jessica Mejia, as well as his sibling Jaylin.
A funeral service was held honoring his life on Saturday in Smyrna, Georgia, at the Iaglesia Pentecostal Roca de Salvacion.
The family had asked for donations in Jacob's memory to be made to the church, as opposed to flowers.
Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said: 'My only role is to extend our sympathies to the family and the friends and the neighbors and all those who were affected by this tragedy.
It still remains unclear how exactly Jacob had come to be in the car, with a friend of the family saying in a GoFundMe page that it was an accident
Local police said that there was no evidence to suggest that the youngster was left inside the vehicle. Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer is pictured here
'We need some time to sort this out before we really know what happened.'
Chief VanHoozer added that his department will 'sort out the facts of this case' and 'we will do what is right.'
He also asked for people to 'really, really be careful in this heat -- this is one example of some things that can go wrong.'
Neighbor Amy Barnes told Atlanta News First, the child was 'blue-faced' when taken into the house.
Barnes told the outlet: 'Next thing I know, people are screaming, and 911 got called. It's a tragedy.'
According to the Kids and Car Safety National Database, there has been seven deaths so far across the country involving hot car deaths.
According to the Kids and Car Safety National Database, there has been seven deaths so far across the country involving hot car deaths
Two of the children who died were unknowingly left, three were left inside, one gained access and Jacob's death is currently marked as unknown.
On Wednesday, a four-year-old Texas girl died after being left inside a hot truck and being forgotten about by her caregivers.
Officials in Houston said that the girl was with two women and a group of children running errands in a Chevy pickup truck the entire day.
The adults later parked their car in the apartment complex and took everyone inside but left behind the toddler.
Investigators believe the girl was left in the truck for about an hour until one of the women realized the child was missing, came back outside to find her and called 911.
She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
