Central Florida father charged with murder in death of 9-month-old left in his hot truck

ROCKLEDGE, Fla. – A central Florida man has been charged with murder in the death of his baby daughter, who authorities say was left in the man’s truck for at least four hours.

Brevard County prosecutors officially charged 31-year-old Steven Darnell Lillie on Friday with third-degree felony murder, manslaughter and leaving a child under the age of six unsupervised in a motor vehicle. Florida Today (http://goo.gl/Znr54V) reports that he was previously charged with aggravated manslaughter.

Authorities say the Rockledge man was supposed to drop off 9-month-old Anna Marie Lillie at her grandmother’s home before heading to work in June. Police say Lillie discovered the baby’s body in the truck later that afternoon after getting a call from a relative about the infant’s whereabouts.

In a 911 call, Lillie told a dispatcher the baby had been in the truck for hours because he “absolutely forgot about her.”

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Information from: Florida Today (Melbourne, Fla.), http://www.floridatoday.com