Baby Dies in Hot Car During 100-Degree Heat Wave in South Dakota

An infant was found dead in a hot car in Yankton, South Dakota as temperatures in the area soared to 100 degrees.

The baby was located on Wednesday afternoon, when the area's heat index rose above 110 degrees. It had been trapped in a vehicle outside of a church.

Authorities attempted to revive the baby but were unsuccessful. They have called for an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.

Yankton, which is home to about 15,500 people, is located in the southeastern corner of the state.

Police have yet to name the person responsible for leaving the child in the car.

The area came close to breaking several heat records over the past week. Sioux Falls, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Yankton, saw a low of 81 degrees Tuesday night. That tied the record for the warmest low temperature in the city, which was last set in 1938, according to the National Weather Service.

Each year, roughly 40 children under 15 die of heatstroke after being left in hot cars. Three toddlers died in a single week this June.

More than 950 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.