Mother charged with murder in hot car death

Deputies say the baby was left in a hot car for around five hours.(Facebook/Ivy Lynn Lee)

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - A mother accused of leaving her 6-month-old in a hot car for five hours in August was formally charged with murder Thursday.

A grand jury in state district court returned a charge of second-degree murder against Lake Charles woman Ivy Lynn Lee, 23.

Six-month-old Carissa Lewis died after being left in Lee’s vehicle, Calcasieu Parish authorities said.

When Lee returned to her vehicle, she drove for approximately five minutes before flagging down a Calcasieu Sheriff’s Office deputy near Enterprise Boulevard and Broad Street, authorities said. But Lee then allegedly told deputies two different stories, first claiming the child was not in her car.

Family members said Lee had a similar incident in 2019 when she left another child, 2 months old at the time, unattended in a vehicle.

Lee pleaded to criminal mischief in that case.