On May 3, 2022, 20-year-old Davied Japez McCorry Whatley left his 8-month-old daughter, Nova Grace Whatley-Trejo, inside his 2007 Mazda 3 parked near the dumpsters at Snellville City Hall while he walked to the nearby Snellville Police Department to retrieve a previously seized firearm. During a routine background check, officers discovered Whatley had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation related to a hit-and-run and arrested him at the station. At no point during his time in police custody—documented on body camera from arrival through transport to the Gwinnett County Detention Center—did Whatley inform anyone that his infant daughter was in the car. After bonding out of jail that evening, Whatley contacted the child's grandmother, who went to the vehicle and found the baby deceased. The grandmother transported the child to Piedmont Eastside Emergency Room where she was pronounced dead. The area reached a high temperature of 86°F that day. The cause of death was vehicular hyperthermia, and the manner of death was ruled homicide. Whatley was re-arrested the following day and charged with second-degree murder.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The father left his 8-month-old daughter unattended in a car for multiple hours. The CNN article states "Whatley is accused of leaving his daughter inside his vehicle for several hours." The NBC News article states the father "had left his daughter in a car parked two buildings away at the City Hall" and that he "never made a statement that child was in the car." The child had no supervision for the duration of the father's arrest and detention.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
The fatality report (GA_22_921.pdf) lists the immediate cause of death as "Vehicular Hyperthermia." Multiple news articles confirm the child died after being left in a hot car. The CNN article states "The father of an 8-month-old girl who died after she was left inside of a hot car" and notes the area "saw a high temperature of 86 °F Tuesday." The NBC News article states "the baby was left in a hot car while he was being arrested at a police station."
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The father, Davied Japez McCorry Whatley, left his biological daughter in the car. Multiple sources confirm this. The CNN article states "The father of an 8-month-old girl who died after she was left inside of a hot car has been charged with second-degree murder" and "Whatley is accused of leaving his daughter inside his vehicle." The NBC News article states "the girl's father, Davied Whatley, 20" left his daughter in the car.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The father was charged with second-degree murder. The CNN article states: "The father of an 8-month-old girl who died after she was left inside of a hot car has been charged with second-degree murder." The NBC News article states: "Whatley bonded out of jail Tuesday night on the warrant charge but was re-arrested Wednesday on a charge of second-degree murder, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple sources describe the father's prior criminal history. The Atlanta News First article states the probation violation was "related to a hit-and-run without insurance." Additionally, the father had a firearm that had been "seized in a previous case" (NBC News) / "seized in an unrelated incident" (Atlanta News First), indicating a prior law enforcement encounter. The CNN article confirms he had "an outstanding probation charge." All of these criminal matters predate the child's fatal incident.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the sources. The father voluntarily went to a police station to retrieve a seized firearm while his infant daughter was left in the car parked two buildings away at City Hall "near the dumpsters" (Atlanta News First). He was then arrested on an outstanding warrant at the station, and the entire interaction was recorded on body camera, which police confirmed shows he "never made a statement that child was in the car" (Atlanta News First). The child died of vehicular hyperthermia while the father was in police custody — a circumstance where the father could not return to the car even if he wanted to. The father only "alerted" the grandmother after bonding out of jail that evening (NBC News), by which time the baby had been in the car for approximately eight hours in 86°F weather. The Snellville Police Department requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation take over the investigation.
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