Complete coverage. The death of 22-month-old Cooper Harris has shocked the community and generated worldwide headlines as Ross Harris, the boy's father, now faces murder charges. Cooper Harris died after being left in the family's SUV while Ross Harris went to work. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will continue following the fallout in the community and will keep you abreast of what's next in the legal process.
Investigators this week re-created the horrific final hours of Cooper Harris’ young life as they continued to build their case against the toddler’s father.
Cobb police spokesman Michael Bowman said Wednesday the department turned over Ross Harris’ SUV and Cooper’s car seat to investigators from the district attorney’s office and that they conducted a “heat test.”
Harris, 33, contends that he forgot his son was inside the vehicle and reported to work as usual. But police, who have charged him with felony murder and cruelty to children, say they believe he intended to kill Cooper, trapped in his car seat for seven hours.
Detective Phil Stoddard testified at last week’s probable cause hearing that cuts and marks found on the 22-month-old’s face and the back of his head indicated he struggled to escape the rear-facing seat as temperatures soared to 130 degrees and above.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, temperatures inside a closed vehicle can rise an average of 19 degrees in just 10 minutes. The high temperature on June 18 reached the low 90s, and prosecutors said it’s likely Cooper died within two hours.
Harris’ attorney, Maddox Kilgore, has repeatedly declined requests for comment.
In other developments:
- A local TV station is reporting that toxicology results showed no sedative present in Cooper Harris' system at the time of his death. Cobb police would only confirm that the toxicology results are in but have yet to share the findings.
Stoddard testified the toddler was spotted walking and playing at a Chick-fil-A, where his father had stopped on June 18 en route to his job at Home Depot. Ross Harris told police Cooper must’ve fallen asleep during the five-minute drive from the restaurant to his office on Cumberland Parkway.
- The website that hosted an online fundraiser for Ross and Leanna Harris is "exploring options" on how to address numerous refund request by donors, said Michael Blasco, spokesman for Youcaring.com.
But Blasco said there’s little the company can do, since it never sees the money. More than $21,000 was sent directly to the Harrises.
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