Dad Who Forgot Child in Car First Took Him to Breakfast

The two went to Chick-fil-A then drove less than a mile to Justin Ross Harris' work
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2014 10:44 AM CDT
Dad Who Forgot Child in Car First Took Him to Breakfast
Cobb County police investigate an SUV where a toddler died Wednesday, June 18, 2014, near Marietta, Ga.   (WXIA, WGCL, FOX 5)

New details are emerging in the case of the toddler who died inside his father's hot SUV last week, but they're not bringing much in the way of additional clarity as to how the child came to be left in the vehicle for hours. An updated arrest warrant for Justin Ross Harris, obtained today by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, notes that the dad and 22-month-old Cooper stopped and ate breakfast at Chick-fil-A on the day the child died. Harris then put Cooper back in his car seat and the two drove to the Home Depot corporate office Harris worked at—not even a mile away.

According to police, Harris didn't notice his unresponsive son in the backseat until 4:16pm, as he was driving home, but the 33-year-old did visit the car once in the interim. "During lunch said accused did access the same vehicle through the driver’s side door to place an object into the vehicle," according to the warrant. "Said accused then closed the door and left the car, re-entering his place of business." Harris, in an unusual move, was charged with murder; police yesterday told the Journal-Constitution that they were reviewing possible inconsistencies in his story. (More Justin Ross Harris stories.)

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