He was supposed to drop off his 13-month old son at daycare. Instead the toddler's father reportedly forgot about the boy and left him in a steamy hot car for hours.
Jesse James Templeton died Friday at a Pierre hospital. So far no charges have been filed against his father Lee Jay Templeton.
On a day when temperatures hovered around 100º, about the only spot you'll find Cheryl Wipperfurth and her three kids is at the Fort Pierre swimming pool. the one place she says they won't be, is sitting alone in her car.
Wipperfurth says, "Especially in the sun it's just too hot for them to sit like that. No."
Wipperfurth and other parents still can't believe what happened in one parking lot Friday, at the Army Corps of Engineers office near the Oahe Dam.
This (above) is where investigators believe 13-month-old Jesse Templeton sat in a car for more than three hours in the heat and died.
Parent Jana Jones says, "I was just very upset with the whole deal, feel very sorry for the family. It was an absolute freak accident."
Wipperfurth says, "You feel bad for the family, you never want these things to happen and you feel terrible that they do. You feel bad for the child."
The parents also say they hope the case causes people to pay more attention in places like parking lots, to try and keep other kids safe."
Jones says, "I do anyway just kind of look in cars just in case there are kids. But people should be aware of their surroundings, not just your family but others too and don't be afraid to speak up."
Wipperfurth says, "Those things stick in your head. You hear about things that happen to children and it sticks in your head. You don't want it to happen to your children or anyone else's."
And while these kids enjoy a carefree summer day, others in town deal with the worst kind of loss. That's why one parent hopes her neighbors will try not to judge a grieving family.
Jones says, "I think the community has a lot of support for them but I've also heard people say how could you do such a thing? It could very easily happen to anybody."
The funeral for Jesse Templeton will be held this Thursday at 10am at Lutheran Memorial Church in Pierre.
