Sydney Deal, 27, could not imagine a worse scenario. He had accidentally locked his infant, one-year-old Sayah Deal, inside of a hot car on Monday afternoon. Deal had left his keys inside the vehicle and did not want to break any of the car’s windows. Deal flagged down officers to help him get his baby out of the hot car, but he wanted them to get the baby out without breaking any of his windows.

Police suggested a few ways to rescue the baby from the car parked in the Las Vegas heat. They could either break the window, call a locksmith, or get a tow truck company to come help. Deal did not want to go forward with any of these plans because they would either damage his vehicle or cost him money out of pocket. Instead, Deal urged the police to speak to his brother, who would be able to open the locked vehicle.

However, the delay proved deadly. By the time officers acted to rescue the baby – breaking a window in the car and removing baby Syrah from the hot vehicle – the child was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of death for the baby has yet to be officially determined. However, police have reason to believe that the little girl had been accidentally locked in the hot car for over an hour. The sun was beating down on Las Vegas particularly hard that day and was very dangerous for the little girl.

Reporters at KVUU said that Deal’s brother told detectives that Deal had called him for help. Deal said that he accidentally locked his daughter in the car but that the air conditioner was still running. Deal’s brother admitted that he was confused by the call, but he rushed to the car parked outside of Deal’s home as quickly as he could.

When Deal’s brother arrived, he offered to smash the car window to rescue the baby. Deal refused to let his brother damage his vehicle. Deal stated that he simply did not have the money to repair the broken window. Deal asked his brother to call their mom, so they could place a call with the car insurance company to see if they could pay for a locksmith to come out to the Las Vegas property and open the door.

The Las Vegas Sun reported that Deal’s girlfriend eventually got through with the insurance company. They offered to call a tow truck for the desperate father, but he refused to go through with it because it cost too much money.

Now, Deal has been arrested and booked in the Clark County Detention Center. He faces charges that include one count of child abuse or neglect causing substantial bodily harm. If he hopes to get out of jail before going to trial, Deal must post a $20,000 bond.

In the video below, Deal’s mother speaks to the press. She decided to speak out in defense of her son, although his hesitancy to damage his car may have cost his daughter her life.