Dad Who ‘Accidentally’ Killed 20-Month-Old Twins After Leaving Them In Hot Car Won’t Be Charged

A South Carolina dad who accidentally left his 20-year-old twin boys in the back of his sweltering car for more than 8 hours won’t be charged in connection with their deaths. Brayden and Bryson McDaniel were rear-facing in the back of their father’s SUV, which is why the unnamed man didn’t realize he hadn’t dropped them off at Sunshine House Early Learning Academy in the morning as he believed he had.

  1. He didn’t realize his mistake until 5:30 p.m. that day. The father said he believed the boys had been dropped off at Sunshine House as normal and it was only at the end of the workday that he learned the horrific truth when a family member discovered the boys dead in the car.
  2. The father was under a lot of stress at work. If you’re left wondering how anyone could not realize that their twin babies were still in the car, you’re not alone. However, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said it came down to the father’s stress levels. “The father was under some intense pressure at work that really had his mind somewhere else that day,” he said at a press conference. “And in his mind he had really believed he had dropped the two boys off at the daycare. There was no doubt in his mind that he had done that.”
  3. The boys’ dad was said to be extremely remorseful over what had happened. Lott said that in discussions with the man, they saw the regret and sadness over what had happened. He said he saw “pure emotion [that] was not something that you could fake” while interviewing the father. It seemed clear to authorities that Brayden and Bryson McDaniel were loved and that what happened had been entirely accidental.
  4. This is a horrible tragedy for the parents and the community at large. “You don’t even have to be a parent for something like this to have an impact on you, on your heart and on your life,” Lott said. “It’s a parents’ worst nightmare, it’s also a community’s worst nightmare.” Lott went on to express his condolences to the family, adding: “Their life will never be the same. Nothing is going to replace these two boys. Nothing is going to take away the pain that this family is going to feel, particularly the father.” Brayden and Bryson McDaniel will certainly be missed.

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
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