Police officials arrested a 24-year-old Georgia father, Asa North, after his 15-month-old twin daughters – Ariel and Alaynah – died after being left in a hot car.
Just before 6:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, August 4, neighbors heard North screaming in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Tillman Drive in Carrollton.
The father realized he left his twin daughters in the back seat of his SUV with temperatures reaching 90 degrees.
RT @Ryan11Alive New mug shot for Asa North, charged in deaths of twin 15-month-old daughters left in hot car… pic.twitter.com/EHDKqgTl8x
— 11Alive News (@11AliveNews) August 5, 2016
North took the children out of the vehicle, and he ran to the back of the apartment building, where a kiddie pool was located.
He placed the twins in the water, attempting to lower their temperatures.
Neighbors brought packs of ice to help the father, but their quick-thinking was in vain.
When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they transported the twin girls to the Tanner Medical Center.
Both twins died shortly upon arrival.
Afterward, Carrollton police arrested the father of the twins on charges of:
“Two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of reckless conduct.”
Carrollton police officials say:
“He was not drunk at the time, but had been drinking earlier in the day, which could have played a role in the incident.”
Carrollton police: Alcohol a factor in hot-car deaths of twins https://t.co/dJj4wf9whi pic.twitter.com/xu9shUlhLf
— AJC (@ajc) August 6, 2016
Breal Ellis, who is the mother of the girls, said:
“They were blessings from God. Wish they were still here. They were my biggest blessing.”
“I love them to death. They were amazing.”
“North was a great father. He just made a mistake.”
“He’s very heartbroken. He broke down crying. He knows he made a mistake.”
During the time the twins were left in the hot car, Ellis was in Atlanta visiting her sister at the Grady Memorial Hospital.
Ellis left Atlanta earlier than anticipated after learning that her twin daughters had died.
The hot car death stunned the community.
Regina Cleveland, who lives in the area, said:
“It’s just sad. I have grandchildren, and I can’t even imagine my grandkids leaving me, and especially under those conditions.
“It was so hot today.”
It was not immediately clear how long the twins were left in the vehicle, but Milwaukee police are currently investigating their deaths.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWEmdkGkcK4
Featured Image via Twitter.
