LEWIS TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A toddler who police say was left in a hot car for nearly six hours this summer is home. The child is now living with her grandmother in the Turbotville area.
Family members carried 2-year-old Annabelle Sawangjang into their home near Turbotville. It's the first time the toddler has been outside since June. That's when she was taken to a rehab center in Hershey after her mother was accused of leaving the child inside a hot car.
Tonia Sones told state police she must have fallen asleep before leaving Annabelle locked in the car with the windows up. The temperature that day was in the low 80s. Annabelle was alone in the car for nearly six hours before her mother woke up and found her.
Investigators say the child's body temperature rose to 103 degrees. The toddler now has brain damage and must eat through a feeding tube.
"We have hope. We've had lots of prayers and support. We believe in miracles. Annabelle's future is only in God's hands," Brenda Murray said.
Murray is Annabelle's great-aunt. She says Annabelle is in the custody of Children and Youth, but Murray's sister, who is Annabelle's grandmother, is fostering the child.
"It has taken months of planning, training, getting services set up," Murray said.
Tonia Sones has been charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child, but Murray says the family's focus is on Annabelle.
"Our main goal is just to focus on her, take care of her, and see how she thrives," Murray said.
Annabelle's mother Tonia Sones is free on bail while her case moves through the Northumberland County court system.