3-year-old child found deceased inside car at Wendy’s parking lot in Columbus
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The investigation is underway after a Columbus toddler was found unresponsive inside a motor vehicle early Sunday evening.
Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan tells me the grandmother, the toddler and the siblings of the toddler all went out on a few errands including going to church, ordering little caesar’s, and visiting the children’s mom at work.
The grandmother took the children, including the toddler, home at or about 5:30P.M. The children playing in the house when the grandmother noticed she couldn’t find the toddler.
Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan tells us the grandmother’s son used the vehicle to go to Wendy’s around 8:15P.M to get ice cream and went inside the residence. Inside that vehicle was 3-year-old Kendrick Engram Jr.
The grandmother reported called her son asking if he had Kendrick around 8:32P.M.. He replied no and she asked him check the car. He called her back minutes later, and unfortunately confirmed the child was inside the car and unresponsive and called authorities at 8:41P.M.
Authorities, with EMS and Columbus police, were dispatched to the scene where they found Kendrick unresponsive. Kendrick Engram Jr. was pronounced deceased by Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Elizabeth Allison at 9:12pm in the parking lot of Wendy’s, located at 1707 Wynnton Rd.
It is believed the child was inside the vehicle for at least 2 hours and 45 minutes. An autopsy has been scheduled. Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan confirmed Kendrick’s cause of death is accidental and it is a heat related death. The mother was notified.
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