Jonesboro Woman Arrested After Child Overheats in Vehicle

JONESBORO, Ark. — A Jonesboro woman is facing charges after police say her 1-year-old child suffered heat-related distress while left in a vehicle for almost four hours.

Alexia Murdie, 21, was arrested Sept. 13 and is being charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor with risk of death or physical injury, a felony, as well as criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, according to court records.

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The probable cause affidavit states that officers responded to a residence on Pacific Road on Sept. 13 after emergency medical personnel reported treating a child who had overheated while inside a vehicle. The child’s condition required transport to a local hospital. The child’s internal temperature was recorded at 102.9 degrees at the hospital.

Investigators said Murdie, the child’s mother, claimed she and the child had been playing outside for about two hours before the incident. However, Murdie had previously been criminally banned from the residence, which belonged to the child’s father.

A witness told police Murdie came to the residence to start a fight. The child was left in the vehicle for approximately four hours while it wasn’t running on a day when it was 90 degrees or hotter, the affidavit said. The child appeared red in the face and torso before medical personnel arrived. The affidavit suggests the mother was present with the child during the incident.

Murdie was arrested at the hospital and booked into the Craighead County Detention Center. District Judge Tommy Fowler set bail at $25,000 cash or surety. A mental health evaluation is pending.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.