After woman’s arrest for leaving 3 children in car, Dublin authorities warn of dangers with high temps

A woman parked her car at a local store, rolled the windows down and walked inside. When a passerby observed a child pop his head up and discovered there were two more children in the back seat, he became concerned.

According to a Dublin Police Department incident report, the man called for help and an officer responded to Walmart around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 26 for a welfare check on a black Nissan. The officer saw one of the three children in the front seat who had water droplets or sweat on his face. The second juvenile was asleep with a third child in the back seat. 

The officer asked dispatch to call the phone number associated with the tag and advise the woman to come out of the store. The officer checked the weather on his phone and it showed the temperature was 89 degrees. 

The vehicle was not running at the time and the officer noticed that the windows were partially down, some more than halfway down, the report noted. When the officer looked into the vehicle, he noticed that the car keys were in the back seat. He had one of the children hand him the keys.

The mother, identified as Lateisha Coombs, 27, returned with bags of items from the store. The officer contacted the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) about what had happened. The DFCS employee made arrangements to have the children turned over to their grandparents.

After being transported to the DPD and fingerprinted, Coombs was released on summons for three counts of reckless conduct. The report did not detail how long the mother was in the store, though the incident time showed it began at 5:27 p.m and was completed by 6 p.m.

Dublin Police Chief Keith Moon said people are more likely to call them when they see situations like this. 

“There have been so many kids who have died from being left in vehicles,” Moon said. “[People] calls more than they used to because it has been publicized so much. I’m glad the person called, because one of them was already sweating.” 

He pointed out that the temperature inside the vehicle was higher than the 89 it was outside. 

“It is never a good idea to leave children or pets in a car, ever,” said Laurens County EMA Director Bill Laird, adding that windows rolled down are not going to help. “It is so hot that what little bit of air that will come through the cracked windows will not make a difference.

“We have all gotten into the vehicles after they have been closed up all day,” he added. “That really intensifies the heat. On average, approximately 40 children a year die from heat stroke after being left or trapped in hot cars. In 2025, there were 31 recorded pediatric hot-car deaths in America and over 1,000 juvenile fatalities have occurred since 1998 in the United States. Fifty-three percent were inadvertently forgotten about, 24 percent gained access to the vehicle on their own and 22 percent were knowingly left behind.”

With heat indexes soaring to 100 and higher, local officials stress the need to be careful when it comes to outdoor activities and the importance of not leaving children, pets or anyone in a vehicle without air conditioning. A parked car without AC can become dangerous in 10 minutes. 

The heat index was predicted to be more than 100 degrees, possibly up to 112 degrees, this week.  

“We can expect heat advisories all throughout the week,” Laird said. “Folks need to drink many fluids and dress appropriately. Wear a hat if you have one, but the biggest part is to make sure you stay hydrated, especially with temperatures this high. It is not hard to succumb to a heat-related illness.”