A Las Vegas father is facing charges after refusing help to save his 1-year-old daughter.
According to PEOPLE, Sidney Deal, 27, was arrested in the death of his daughter, Sayah, after he declined help from police to rescue the baby girl from a hot car.
The incident occurred on Monday around 3:30 pm, when officials were called to assist a man who had locked his keys in the car.
Upon arrival, the officers offered to break the windows, call a tow truck or get a locksmith for Deal to unlock the car, where his daughter was locked in.
However, Deal declined, explaining to officials that his baby would be okay with the air conditioner. Instead, he called his brother.
When Deal’s brother arrived, he tried to break the window with his hands. But Deal “stopped him and said he wanted to wait for a tow truck.” He then “insisted he not damage his new vehicle, stating he had just bought the car and did not have the money to repair a broken window,” according to an arrest report.
Deal’s girlfriend said she told police she called a locksmith, but Deal didn’t like the price, so he denied the service.
Sayah was inside the hot car for about an hour by the time officials broke open the windows. By the time the cops opened the window, the baby was already dead.
A spokesperson for police said the officers agreed to wait because Deal was adamant about protecting the car, and the child at the time was still breathing.
“The dad said that the A/C was on and the kid was playing, and when the officers arrived, they saw that she was breathing,” Hadfield said, according to the Journal-Review. “But when the officers got concerned for the child’s well-being, they broke the window.”
Deal has been charged with child abuse leading to substantial bodily harm, and he is currently being held on a $20,000 bond.
