A 4-year-old girl who was found dead inside a parked vehicle in Valley Village on Tuesday has been identified as the devastating incident leaves the close-knit Jewish neighborhood shaken.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner Wednesday identified the child as Adina Nevo.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, emergency crews were dispatched to the 12700 block of McCormick Street around 3:51 p.m. after reports of a medical emergency involving a child.
Responders arrived to find the young girl unresponsive inside a vehicle, and Los Angeles Fire Department personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.
Authorities initially handled the case as a possible child abuse investigation before it was rapidly escalated into a death investigation.
A source close to the family, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the girl had been part of a neighborhood carpool earlier in the day, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The child was only discovered still inside the vehicle after her mother arrived at preschool to pick her up, according to the source.
Investigators have not said why the girl remained in the car or how long she may have been inside the vehicle.
Temperatures in the San Fernando Valley climbed into the upper 80s Tuesday.
The medical examiner deferred the official cause of death and listed the child’s place of death as a vehicle.
Neighbors described the tragedy as deeply rattling for the devout Jewish community in Valley Village, where many local families are closely connected.
At least two neighbors said a father had driven the morning carpool and allegedly did not realize the girl never exited the vehicle, ABC 7 reported.
The LAPD’s Juvenile Division, including its abused child unit, is leading the investigation.
Capt. Warner Castillo described the case as a “possible homicide” to ABC 7, as detectives continue interviewing witnesses and working to establish a timeline.
Police said no one is currently in custody.