We’ve seen the serious dangers of parents leaving young children unattended in vehicles during hot weather. Not only is this behavior irresponsible, but it can also be life-threatening. In extreme heat, a child left in a car can quickly suffer from heatstroke, lose consciousness, and even die.
Unfortunately, this type of incident occurs frequently enough that it’s a major concern for law enforcement. Officers are often on alert during hot days, checking parking lots for children left alone in vehicles.
One such case involved Officer Jason Short of Keene, New Hampshire. He was on duty when he received an urgent report: a baby had been spotted alone in a parked car outside a Walmart on an extremely hot day.
What unfolded next was something he never could’ve anticipated.
Without hesitation, Jason rushed to the scene.
“I got there as soon as I could,” he told WMUR. “I’m not sure how fast I was going, but it was quick.”
When he arrived, he saw what looked like a baby wrapped in a blanket, with tiny feet visible through the car window. With no idea how long the child had been there in the heat, Jason acted fast—breaking the window with his baton to rescue the infant.
He gently lifted the child out, fearing the worst. The baby appeared unresponsive, its skin pale and unusual in color. Concerned, he began CPR as a crowd gathered and an ambulance was called.
But then, something didn’t feel right.
Jason started to suspect that what he was holding wasn’t a real baby after all. A closer look confirmed his suspicion—it was a hyper-realistic doll.
The doll’s owner, Carolynne Seiffer, returned to her car to find the window shattered and a crowd surrounding her lifelike $2,000 doll, named Ainsley.
“I’ve been laughed at and humiliated by all the attention,” she told WMUR.
As reported by the Washington Post, Carolynne owns around 40 of these realistic dolls. She uses them to help cope with the grief of losing her son. For some people, such dolls are part of a personal healing process.
“You can’t judge how someone handles their pain and loss,” she explained.
Though a bit embarrassed, Officer Short said he had no regrets.
“I would never just assume it’s a doll,” he said. “To me, it will always be a child until I know otherwise. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
The Keene Police Department covered the $300 cost to repair Carolynne’s broken window.
While this incident was unusual, thankfully no one was hurt. Police advise owners of such realistic dolls to either take them with them or store them in the trunk when parked—to prevent situations like this from happening again.
