SAN DIEGO — Content warning: This story includes details about a toddler’s death which some readers may find disturbing.
The autopsy of a young girl who died in Tierrasanta in August after being found in a hot car is revealing new information surrounding her death. The medical examiner has ruled that Scarlett Harris died from hyperthermia and deemed her death an accident.
On Aug. 5, Pricilla Harris called 911 to report her daughter Scarlett was missing. The call was disconnected but a few minutes later the 24-year-old mother called again to say she had found the toddler inside the family’s parked car in front of their home.
Police responded to the scene in an area of Navy housing with military personnel responding as well. Medics were unable to revive Scarlett who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident spurred a large investigation that ended with prosecutors charging Pricilla Harris with one count of child abuse resulting in death.
A San Diego Medical Examiner has now released an autopsy on 20-month-old Scarlett noting her lips were dry and there were “heat artifacts” on her limbs. The report rules the cause of death as hyperthermia.
“Which would be exposure to very hot weather and that had gone untreated,” said San Diego Police Department retired deputy Rick Carlson.
He says the medical examiner’s report is just one component of the investigation.
“There’s a lot of circumstances you need to know about – heat of the day and those kinds of things,” Carlson said.
The medical examiner also ruled the death an accident, which doesn't mean there aren't extenuating circumstances.
“That’s where the detectives are going to figure it out and with the help of the medical examiner,” Carlson said.
Charging documents show Scarlet's temperature was 106 degrees when she was found. Police also infer overnight Pricilla Harris may have driven with Scarlett in the backseat from her Tierrasanta home to visit a man she was romantically involved with in El Cajon.
She then drove home in the morning bringing inside the man's puppy, but not her daughter.
Detectives interviewed the man and noted quote "he responded in disgust by saying he could not believe Harris brought the puppy inside the residence but left her child in the vehicle."
That is why Carlson says the circumstances matter beyond the autopsy report when it comes to charging someone.
"Not only does the autopsy determine that but then the detectives will get surrounding circumstances - the heat that day, how long the child was in the car - all are part of the investigation,” he said.
Pricilla Harris pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and remains in jail on $1-million bail. She is due back in court on Wednesday. If convicted, she could spend 12 years in prison.
The full autopsy can be viewed below.