ROSEBURG, Ore. -- The attorney for the Roseburg mother whose toddler died in a hot car in June is calling it a tragic accident and said his client is still healing after the Douglas County District Attorney dropped the criminal charges against her.
"She is still dealing with trauma and dealing with her life going forward," said David Terry, Nicole Engler's attorney.
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Terry said the Roseburg police and county prosecutor's investigations into the death of 21-month-old Remington Engler were comprehensive, professional and compassionate.
Prosecutors said on June 21, Nicole Engler put her daughter in a car seat but forgot to drop her off at daycare. Instead, prosecutors said she went straight to work as a nurse at Evergreen Family Medicine, leaving Remi in the car. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that Engler discovered her child in the back seat unconscious and blue.
The high temperature that day was 81 degrees.
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Prosecutors reviewed evidence, including text messages between Engler and her husband, and found no criminal wrongdoing. Terry said a medical expert specializing in lapsed memory also played a key role in the outcome.
"While it would have been far easier to do the politically expedient thing to just pitch it to the grand jury, it took courage and hard work and integrity to do the work and say no this time," Terry said.
Terry said Nicole and her family want to thank everyone who supported them during this time and said in the future they want to help raise awareness about the dangers of hot cars.
