PICTURED: Virginia father, 37, who shot himself outside the family home after accidentally leaving his 18-month-old son in a hot car as he went to work
- Aaron Beck, 37, committed suicide after his 18-month-old son Anderson Beck died in an overheated car in Virginia on June 28
- An obituary said Aaron “gave his life to his son in an act of deep devotion.”
- Police suspect Aaron went to work for three hours and forgot to take his son to daycare
- Anderson was found by police at the family home, while Aaron was found dead in the woods a short time later
- The child is the seventh child to die in an overheated car in the United States this year
The Virginia father, who killed himself after finding his young son dead in the backseat of his car when he mistakenly went to work and forgot about him, “given his life to his son in an act of dedication,” according to an obituary .
Aaron Beck, 37, killed himself in the woods behind his Midlothian home on June 28 after finding his son dead in a car.
The child’s family alerted the police that the boy had failed to show up at daycare. And officers then went to the house after the family told officers Aaron had made suicide statements.
“Upon arrival they found the people in the driveway with the door open and an empty child seat in the vehicle. When they entered the residence, they found a deceased 18-month-old,” Chesterfield Police Lt. Colonel Christopher Hensley said on June 28.
The father was found shortly after, where the family said he would be. Officials speculated that Aaron went into work three hours in the morning and forgot to take his son to daycare during an ongoing heat wave. Temperatures in the area peaked at 80°F on the day of her death.
Aaron Beck killed himself on June 28 after discovering his son Anderson Beck dead in his car. He accidentally left the 18-month-old in the hot car while driving three hours to work
The joint obituary for the duo says the two “were intertwined in life and death” and calls Aaron’s death an act of “dedication and love.”
Anderson has been described as “intelligent” and full of “life and promise”.
Officers arrived at the Midlothian home after receiving a call from the boy’s family claiming he had failed to show up for daycare and that his father was suicidal
A coroner confirmed to DailyMail.com that Aaron died of suicide. The cause of the child’s death has not yet been clarified.
Anderson and Aaron’s lives were intertwined with life and death,” reads a Legacy.com obituary. ‘[Aaron] sacrificed his life for his son in an act of deep devotion and love.’
The toddler will be remembered as the “brightest light that brought his family together.”
“He was a beautiful, outgoing, and intelligent little boy who lived in a family of love and promise,” the tribute reads.
Lauren Riegel posted a tribute to her stepbrother and son on Monday, along with a GoFundMe link to help Laura shed some stress and weight
Police speculate that Aaron forgot to take his son to daycare in the morning and went to work. The family became concerned after it was reported that Anderson had failed to show up for daycare
The 18-month-old man’s body was found by officers at the family home in Virginia before spotting Aaron in the woods behind the house
In the obituary, Aaron is remembered as a man whose “career was important to him” but “not the focus of his life.” His “biggest dream” is credited with “being a father and starting a family”.
“His greatest focus was his son Anderson, for whom he gave tremendous and endless love. He was generous, kind, caring and gentle to his son. The selflessness of his love was a testament to the possibilities of fatherhood, of the possibilities of the heart,” the tribute reads.
A GoFundMe was organized by the duo’s family, Aaron’s stepsister Lauren Riegel, which was shared on Facebook.
“Aaron was a great father and husband to his wonderful wife Laura,” she wrote.
“She is completely devastated and has a long, hard road ahead of her.”
Seven hot car deaths so far in 2022
Seven children, including the 18-month-old, have died in the United States this year after being left in a hot car, according to No Heat Stroke.
He is also the second to die this week: Kendrick Engram Jr, three, died on Sunday after his grandmother left him in the back seat of a car after running errands in Georgia.
Kendrick Engram Jr, three, was left in a hot car after his grandmother forgot about him
Engram was discovered by his uncle after driving to a fast food joint. The boy was sitting in the third row of a Nissan SUV.
He died of asphyxiation after temperatures reached a high of 96°F and a low of 90°F, the National Weather Service reported in its forecast.
Last week, five-year-old Trace Means died in a car after he died on March 20.
Trace Means, five, was left to die in the back seat of his mother’s car on Monday. He is pictured above with his parents Amanda and Steve and older sister, 8
Investigators believe his mother, Amanda Means, forgot to unbuckle him after she rushed into her $1.4 million home to throw a birthday party for his eight-year-old sister.
Amanda has not been charged in her son’s death, but the investigation is ongoing.
The 2022 heat stroke deaths began on May 3 with the death of an 8-month-old girl in Snellville, Georgia.
Nova Grace Whatley-Trejo died in a hot car after being left in police custody by her father for seven hours. Davied Whatley failed to mention that his daughter was in the car when he was arrested
Nova Grace Whatley-Trejo was left in her father’s car when temperatures hit 86-degree weather in Snellville.
Davied Whatley, 20, left his daughter in a parked car outside City Hall as he went to retrieve a gun.
Whatley was arrested after a background check found a parole violation. While in police custody, Whatley made no mention of his daughter being in the car.
The next day he was charged with the second-degree murder of his daughter.
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