Louisiana Infant Dies in Hot Car, Mother Charged For Murder

Ivy Lee of Lake Charles, Louisiana has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after she left her five-month-old daughter in the car for over five hours while she worked.

According to a Facebook post made by the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, Lee flagged down officers in the area of Enterprise Boulevard and Broad Street in Lake Charles at about 3:45 Sunday afternoon. Lee told the off duty deputy her daughter was not breathing. An on-duty deputy who was patrolling the area was also flagged down.

Both deputies attempted to revive the infant through CPR before she was transported to a local hospital. The infant, who was later identified as Carissa Lewis, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

During the initial investigation, Lee told police multiple stories. Firstly, she said her daughter was not in her care. Later, she allegedly told detectives she drove to her place of work and left Carissa in her small SUV for approximately five hours. Temperatures on Sunday reached 92 degrees, according to a weather report.

Lee’s sister, Ashley Lee, told WAFB “It was just like heart ripping, like how do you explain this to her sister, how do you comfort family…Then on top of that with it being my sister, it’s been a lot.” Ashley Lee has custody of Ivy’s older daughter, Avereigh.

In 2019, Ivy Lee left Avereigh in a car unattended when she was only two months old. An officer found her as she was smoking in a park. She later pled down her charges to criminal mischief.

In addition to the recent murder charge, Lee has also been charged with possession of marijuana after deputies found it in her car. A judge set her bail at $1,204,000.