WILLIAMSPORT -- The Lycoming County coroner has identified the little girl who died after she was left in a car.
She is 4-year-old Samaria Motyka.
Police have not released the identity of the woman who was caring for her. However, they describe her as someone who is close to the girl's family.
Officials are waiting for toxicology results on both the girl and her caregiver, before deciding whether to file criminal charges.
Meanwhile, parents in the area are asking how this could happen.
Donna Ruley-Burney had her hands full as she walked five of her grandkids to the pool in Williamsport Saturday. She said she can't imagine forgetting a child in a vehicle under any circumstance.
“You remember you brought them out of the house, so you remember to take them with you, so there is no excuse for it,” she said.
We met the family just steps from the parking lot on West 4th Street in Williamsport where police say Motyka lost her life after being left in a hot car. A woman claimed she forgot to drop the girl at daycare before heading to work on Friday.
Alicia Coats of Williamsport is a mother of two, with another on the way. Says she's shocked by the child's death.
“My kids are my world, so you know, I could never just forget them like that. I am just mind blown about it,” said Coats.
Most people we spoke with say they can't imagine ever forgetting their child, but experts say it's worth considering using a reminder. A simple one is to put your left shoe in the back with the baby.
“I think that the problem with people nowadays is that we are so busy and so distracted, we have a million things on our mind, and I am just praying for her and her family,” Chris Cowne of Jordan Township said.
We saw one man and woman stop by the parking lot to pay their respects to a little girl they never knew.
“It's hot out here. It feels like 200 degrees out there. You don't leave your child in the back of a car, it's just crazy,” said Anthony Brown of Williamsport.
An autopsy was performed on the little girl on Saturday, but the Lycoming County coroner says more tests are needed in order to determine an exact cause of death.
