ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — A Lee County woman is now indicted in connection with the death of her 7-month-old baby, who was allegedly found unresponsive inside a vehicle in October 2025.

Nyla Simmons is charged with:

• Murder in the Second Degree
• Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree…

Indictment

According to the indictment, “... Nyla Simmons... commit the offense of murder in the second degree... by leaving said victim in a vehicle unattended, causing the death of said victim.”

Officials say Simmons brought her infant child to the hospital, where he later died.

“What they’re saying is look, we don’t know or believe that this person intentionally killed their child. They’re alleging that they were criminally negligent. In others words, they made a very, very, very, bad mistake. In this instance they don’t have to prove that the mother intentionally killed the child, but rather that they were criminally negligent.”

Research shows that cases such as these have become more actively prosecuted and heavily penalized over the years. Even though research also shows that the leading cause of these types of deaths is often due to a caregiver forgetting the child because of routine changes, stress, and/or sleep deprivation.

Another Georgia Case

In Gwinnett County, GA, a 29-year-old mother, Deja Coleman, also faces second-degree murder charges. Authorities say she left her 1-year-old inside a vehicle during an eight-hour work shift at Northside Hospital this year.

Coleman’s attorneys presented evidence from a neuroscientist who says stress and sleep deprivation caused a fatal memory error rather than a criminal act.

 “We’ve labeled a grieving mother a murderer. That’s wrong. That’s not the society we live in, to criminalize good faith mistakes.” 

Reduced Charge Options

In both cases, the murder charge could be reduced to a lesser charge of felony or misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter, or other charges.

“The difference in punishment is pretty substantial. Murder in the second degree, here, the punishment is 10 to 30 years. That’s obviously a big difference.”

Advocates Fight for Federal Safety Legislation

Right now, there’s a push for federal safety legislation in the works. The legislation urges lawmakers to mandate vehicle sensors that could prevent vehicular heatstroke deaths.

In 2021, Congress passed a mandate for backseat occupant alerts, but federal rollout has stalled.

Statistics show nearly 40 children, under the age of 15, die each year in the U.S. from vehicular heatstroke. So far in 2026, 23 child hot car deaths have been reported across the country. That’s all according to the National Safety Council.

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