LVMPD report: Father of baby found dead inside car rejected offers to break window to avoid repair bill

UPDATE (October 6) -- Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested the father of a toddler found in a hot car Monday night.

Sidney Deal, 27, was arrested Tuesday, according to court records. LVMPD confirmed Deal's arrest Tuesday afternoon.

According to court records, Deal was set to have a court hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. He refused to appear due to medical reasons, which was accepted by the court.

The Clark County Coroner's Office identified the toddler as Sayah Deal, 1 year and 9 months old. Her cause and manner of death were pending, the office said.

According to Deal's arrest report, he flagged down a patrol unit and said he accidentally locked his keys in the car and left it running while his daughter was inside. 

An officer tried to call for a tow truck and locksmith and offered to break the window. Deal asked the officer instead to call his brother. After several minutes, the officer broke the back window to get inside the car.

Police said the girl was dead before paramedics arrived.

In an interview with police, Deal's brother told police he knew of the incident when his brother called him from an unknown number. Deal told his brother he accidentally locked his daughter inside, but the air conditioner was on. Deal allegedly told his brother to call his mother for her to call her insurance. Deal's brother told police he was confused by the call and left to go to his brother's.

At the H Street home, Deal told his brother that the toddler was okay, but needed his mom to call a service through her insurance. His brother prepared to break the window, and Deal stopped him, according to police. 

According to the report, Deal told his brother he had just bought the car and didn't have the money to fix a broken window. 

After waiting for a tow and locksmith, Deal allowed police to break the window.

Deal told police he had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend, and at the time of the incident was taking his daughter to spend the day at his brother's. He said he accidentally locked the car when he realized he didn't have his phone. When he went back, he told police the car was locked. 

He told police the toddler walked from the back seat to the front and after a few minutes, laid down on the floorboard of the backseat. He said he thought she fell asleep but was fine with the air conditioner on. 

He also allegedly admitted to rejecting offers to break the window to avoid a bill and damage to his new car. 

ORIGINAL STORY: LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- Las Vegas police were investigating the death of a 22-month-old girl in the central valley Monday night.

According to police, officers responded to the 1700 block of H Street, near Owens Avenue, about 3:30 p.m. on October 5, and located the body of the toddler. 

Police said the victim was locked inside of a car while it was running with the air conditioner on. Once the father noticed her inside, he flagged down a passing patrol officer. Police said the father was trying to open the car with a hanger and the officer smashed the window open instead.

The officers nor paramedics could save the girl. Police said from "what we know" it appeared the girl died from being inside of the hot car.

Lt. Dave Valenta said investigators were still trying to figure out the timeline. "As far as the temperature the A.C. that is something we still need to confirm through diagnostics," he said. 

The girl's identity, as well as her cause and manner of death, will be released by the Clark County Coroner's Office.

The toddler's father was taken into custody to be interviewed by police. 

Roads were closed at H Street between Weaver Drive and Doolittle Avenue for the investigation.