A Florida father’s world changed forever when he went to pick up his 1-year-old son from daycare, and staff revealed the toddler never arrived. The child, who had actually been in his father’s car all day, was pronounced dead moments later.

On Wednesday, November 6, the unidentified man went to the Bayfront Child Development Center in St. Petersburg after work to pick up his child, according to local media. ABC Action News, ABC 7 Sarasota And FOX 13 Tampa Bay.

After arriving at the center around 5 p.m. local time and chatting with staff, the man sadly realized he had never actually dropped off his child.

Yolanda Fernandez, a St. Petersburg police spokesperson, told FOX 13 that “at that point, the father kind of realized what was happening and went back to the car.”

The young boy was found unconscious in the backseat of his father’s car, where he had remained all day, as the temperature reached a record high of 91 degrees, the outlet reported.

Emergency services were then called to the parking lot, where they attempted to perform CPR to save the 1-year-old. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to FOX 13. Investigators believe he spent the entire day in the hot vehicle.

The father forgot to drop his son off that morning because he took him to an appointment, which was not part of their usual routine, Fernandez told FOX 13.

After the appointment, he was supposed to drop the toddler off at Bayfront, before returning home, where he works, the outlet reported.

St. Petersburg Fire Division Chief Lindsay Judah told FOX 13 that “in just ten minutes it can be 20 degrees hotter inside a vehicle with the doors closed.” The little one spent hours in his father’s car.

An autopsy is underway and police are actively investigating to determine the exact details of the child’s death and see if charges can be filed, according to ABC Action News and ABC 7 Sarasota.

The St. Petersburg Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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Judah told FOX 13 the last time St. Petersburg firefighters saw a death like the young boy’s was in 2017.

To prevent further tragedies, she said drivers should “create reminders” for themselves when a child is in their vehicle – especially one that “prompts them to look in the back seat.”

Options suggested by the fire chief include placing the child’s shoe or stuffed animal in the front seat.

“This is our action that we are asking our parents and guardians to take,” Judah told the outlet. “Act. »