A toddler died after he climbed into the family's hot car and couldn't get out.
Three-year-old Logan Cox, from Lancaster County, North Carolina, died on Sunday four days after he suffered severe heat stroke after he climbed into a car and became trapped inside.
The boy was conscious but red-faced when he was finally discovered, alongside the body of his pet dog.
He was taken to hospital but he didn't respond to treatment.
The boy lived with his parents and grandparents but he slipped out of the front door without them knowing to play with the dog, a nine-year-old basset hound/pit bull mix.
The two climbed into the black Mitsubishi Galant but couldn't get out. It wasn't clear how long they had been in the car.
His grandmother told police Logan's mum, Amber Bender had been sitting with the toddler on the couch watching television when she 'dozed off.'
The mum was asleep for around 30 minutes when Logan was discovered, the grandmother said. When she woke up she realised her son was missing.
Relatives then found Logan in the car when they noticed the hazard lights blinking.
Logan's grandfather Jimmy Clevinger told local news the boy had learned how to unlock the car door but was unable to push it back open to get out because the weight of the door was too much.
The tragedy is the latest in a catalogue of incidents involving children in hot cars, including the death of 22-month-old Cooper whose father Justin Ross Harris, 33, is facing trial after he left his son in his SUV for eight hours. The dad has been warned by a judge that he could face the death penalty.