A Wisconsin toddler found in the trunk of a car likely died of hyperthermia due to the heat, authorities said Friday, according to the Associated Press.
The toddler found in the trunk was two-year-old Isaiah Theis. He disappeared Tuesday night sparking an all night, all day search for the missing toddler. The next day at 10:15 p.m. the toddler was found in the trunk of a locked car parked outside the boy's home - where his father repairs cars - when the owner came to pick up his car.
According to the statement released by Polk County Sheriff's Department, they listed the probable cause of death as hyperthermia, a condition where body temperature spikes. However, further toxicology reports are pending to further explain exactly what happened to the toddler.
The boy disappeared Tuesday night. A sheriff's deputy found his body in the trunk of a locked car outside the boy's home near Centuria late Wednesday evening after a day of blistering heat.
According to the report, Chief Deputy Steve Moe said he regrets that they did not search the trunk of the cars. He said the research team had assumed that the toddler had wandered off on foot, making them search the surrounding area.
He said deputies did not have access to the keys, but he wasn't certain whether the keys were on the property.
"Would we liked to have forced entry to the car? Yeah, from my personal perspective," Moe said.
Moe declined to speculate how Isaiah ended up in the trunk and wouldn't say whether investigators consider his death an accident or the result of foul play.
"I know that there's strong interest in what caused it and what things led to the boy getting in that car," he said. "It's just too early."
"A full autopsy has been requested and it would be inappropriate for anyone to speculate as to the cause and nature of death until that examination has been done," the sheriff's own statement said.
