A 69-year-old Tennessee woman has been arrested for “neglectfully” leaving a 7-month-old baby to die in a hot car. Linda Stevens, who has been described as the deceased child’s foster godmother, was detained in the Putnam County Jail on $50,000 bond. Stevens worked as a librarian and was on her way to work when the incident occurred.
The District Attorney’s office wrote that Linda “unlawfully and negligently killed Gabrielle Alonzo”, who was seven months old at the time of her passing. “The killing of Gabrielle Alonzo being the result of criminally negligent conduct of LINDA CHARLENE STEVENS in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-212, to wit:,” the DA’s statement wrote.
Authorities arrested Linda Stevens, 69, of Putnam County for criminally negligent homicide. https://t.co/yFOZDzI8vC pic.twitter.com/ofDshmsnbE
— FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) April 25, 2026
The Tennessee resident was on her way to work and was supposed to drop off the child at a daycare facility. She “placed the child and her car seat in the backseat of her vehicle,” and then secured the car seat with the seat belt buckle. However, she never dropped the child off at the daycare; instead, she drove to the public library in Monterey, where she worked.
“She entered the building and began her workday,” the District Attorney’s statement read. “She left the child secured in her locked car from 8:00 a.m. until approximately 4:00 p.m. when she received a telephone call from a family member asking about the child’s whereabouts. The child was found in her vehicle deceased.”
According to Law&Crime, attempts to perform CPR were unsuccessful as the child had spent eight hours in the hot car and had already died. After the child’s body was found, officers from the Monterey Police Department responded to the scene, and Putnam County Sheriff’s Office detectives reached the scene, and launched an investigation, obtaining an arrest warrant.
Police say an infant was found unresponsive in an unattended vehicle in Winter Haven, Florida. It is the first hot car death of the year, according to Kids and Car Safety. https://t.co/54VexiNQdH pic.twitter.com/QD49Yr2ELP
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) April 2, 2026
Sadly, Gabrielle Alonzo’s death was the second hot car death in the U.S. this year, according to Kids and Car Safety. The non-profit organization notes that most hot car deaths are negligent and occur because of an “otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver” who forgot their child in the car. “Since 1990, at least 1,173 children have died in hot cars in the United States and at least another 7,500 survived with varying degrees of injury, according to data compiled by Kids and Car Safety,” the Kids and Car Safety organization reported.
Tennessee Sheriff Eddie Farris commented on the matter, calling the incident “a devastating tragedy.” The sheriff urged the public to always check their vehicles before leaving. “The baby may have been left in the vehicle for hours, with the engine turned off and the windows rolled up,” Farris said. “As temperatures rise, please take a moment and always check your vehicles. A simple check can save a child’s life.”
