Police said the girl was unresponsive when bystanders and first responders reached her Sunday afternoon.
DELAND, FL — A 27-year-old mother was arrested after police said her 3-year-old daughter was left alone in a hot vehicle and found unresponsive Sunday afternoon outside a plasma donation center in DeLand.
Latana Williams faces a child neglect charge after the girl was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to the DeLand Police Department. Police said the child’s outlook later appeared positive, but the case remained under investigation as of Monday. The incident drew a response from DeLand police, the DeLand Fire Department and Volusia County Fire Rescue after a 911 call from the 300 block of New York Avenue.
Police said the call came in at about 4:32 p.m. Sunday after someone reported an unresponsive child inside a vehicle. When officers and fire rescue crews arrived, a witness had already started CPR on the child. The girl was taken by ground to a local hospital. Capt. P. Dice, who responded to the scene, said the early response by bystanders was important. “Please take this as a reminder to always check your back seats,” Dice said in a police statement. Police said Williams had been at a nearby plasma donation center before the child was found.
A preliminary investigation found that Williams had left the girl in the vehicle for about two hours while visiting the plasma center, police said. WFTV reported the center was Grifols Biomat in DeLand. Police said the child was found in the 300 block of New York Avenue, a commercial area near downtown DeLand. Witnesses told officers they saw Williams holding what appeared to be a lifeless child before help arrived. A 911 caller reported the girl might not have been breathing and appeared to be turning blue, according to police information released after the incident.
Williams disputed the police account after her arrest. She told a television crew that she had not been inside for two hours and said the car had been running. “It couldn’t have been over 30 minutes, and the car was on,” Williams said from the back of a patrol car. “I was on FaceTime with her the entire time.” Dice later said investigators did not believe that account. “Based on our investigation, that is not true,” Dice said at a Monday briefing. He said police found the car was off, the windows were up and “the child was suffering.”
Police said the girl was treated for heat exhaustion, including an elevated body temperature and lethargy. An arrest affidavit described the child as shaking and foaming at the mouth, according to local reports. The temperature in DeLand was reported at about 88 degrees Sunday afternoon. Investigators said the exact temperature inside the vehicle and the child’s medical condition would remain part of the case review. Williams told police that donating plasma was needed to help cover child care costs, according to the affidavit. She also said she believed the child may have turned off the car after being left unattended.
Williams was taken into custody on a child neglect charge, which police described as a first-degree felony. Police said she denied wrongdoing. FOX 35 reported Monday that Williams had not yet been booked into jail because she was hospitalized after an allergic reaction to stainless steel handcuffs. Police also said the Department of Children and Families had an on-call investigator involved in the case. Investigators said more charges could be considered depending on the child’s condition and the findings from medical records, witness statements and other evidence.
The case has focused attention on the actions of bystanders who noticed the child and called for help. Police said a witness began CPR before emergency crews arrived, and first responders then transported the girl to the hospital. Williams, speaking after her arrest, said she would never hurt her child. “I’m not a bad mother,” she said. “This was a medical emergency, and y’all turned it into a crime scene.” Police said the investigation remained active and that detectives were continuing to review the timeline, the vehicle and statements from people at the scene.
The child remained the center of the investigation after police said her condition had shown a positive outlook. Williams’ next court steps were not immediately detailed in the reports available Monday, and DeLand police said the investigation was ongoing.
Author note: Last updated June 2, 2026.