A one-year-old girl has died after allegedly being left in a childcare centre’s van, as scorching temperatures affect numerous US states.
Ra’Miyah Worthington was found unresponsive in the vehicle in Nebraska, after mistakenly being left inside for between “five to six hours”, Douglas County chief deputy attorney Brenda Beadle said.
She later died in hospital.
Image: Police investigate at Kidz of the Future nursery. Pic: AP
As temperatures reached the mid-30C (more than 90F) outside the Kidz of the Future Childcare van, court documents said Ra’Miyah’s body temperature reached 42.8C.
A high temperature for children is classed as 38C or more, according to the NHS.
Ra’Miyah’s mother, Sina Johnson, described her daughter as “daddy’s little girl”.
“She loved, loved, loved her family,” she told NBC affiliated television station WOWT. “She loved her daddy. She was daddy’s little girl.”
Image: Ryan Williams was charged with child negligence resulting in death. Pic: AP
Prosecutors charged van driver, Ryan Williams, 62, of Omaha, on Tuesday with a felony count of child negligence resulting in death, which carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.
He told police he was distracted by a young boy who did not want to get out the van and forgot Ra’Miyah was inside, closing the vehicle before checking it was empty.
“I’m not comprehending how this could have even possibly happened,” the girl’s father, Reeyon Worthington, told WOWT.
Image: Temperature sign in Kansas. Pic: AP/Mark Reinstein/MediaPunch/IPX
“How can you forget a kid that you yourself put into the vehicle, but you took the other two off? How do you forget one when you take two off the van? How did you forget my baby?”
State officials said the nursery will remain closed while the death is investigated.
Temperatures were expected to be as much as 20C above average, in various states across the Midwest down to the Gulf Coast, including Nebraska.
The National Weather Service said “extremely dangerous heat” will persist across the central to southeast region, with heat alerts affecting around 17 states and 150 million people.
The weather has led to schools making changes to daily routines, with children being kept inside for breaktime and sport events being postponed.
Image: Temperatures are expected to be as much as 20C above average. Pic: AP
Firefighters in Missouri helped remove 117 patients from a nursing home after the air conditioning failed in the sweltering weather.
Most were taken to other nursing facilities, but seven who had COVID-19 and were taken to local hospitals, authorities said.
Higher overnight temperatures and high humidity expected to stick around until Thursday and possibly into Friday, the weather service said.
JD Vance has told Denmark it has “not done a good job” with Greenland during a visit to the territory – as President Donald Trump repeated his call for the US to take over the island.
Vice President Vance, his wife Usha and other senior US officials arrived at an American military base in Greenland, the semi-autonomous territory that has been a part of Denmark for more than 600 years.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Mr Vance said.
“You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people.
“We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic.”
Shortly before Mr Vance spoke from Greenland on Friday, Mr Trump continued his threats of taking over the territory, saying: “We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security.
“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of you think we can do without it – we can’t.”
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0:44
‘We need Greenland’ says Trump
The one-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik – located on the northwest coast of the territory – has avoided violating potential diplomatic taboos of a state sending a delegation to another country, without an invitation.
The trip had been scaled back after locals were angered that the original itinerary was made without consulting them – particularly in light of Mr Trump’s repeated claims that the US should control Greenland.
Speaking to soldiers at the US base, Mr Vance claimed Denmark – and Europe by extension – has failed to protect the region.
Image: JD Vance tours the US military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Pic: Reuters
He said: “This place, this base, this surrounding area, is less secure than it was 30-40 years ago, as some of our allies have not kept up…
“Europe (has) not kept pace… with military spending, and Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of aggressive incursions from Russia, China, and other nations.”
Mr Vance said Mr Trump was “a president of peace”, adding: “We respect the self-determination of Greenlanders, we believe in the self-determination of the population of Greenland.”
Asked if plans have been drafted to use military force to take over Greenland, he indicated the White House planned to wait for the people of the territory to vote for self-determination before acting.
“What the president has said… is that we need to have more of a position in Greenland,” he added.
Image: JD Vance and his wife have lunch with soldiers at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Pic: AP
Greenland is the world’s largest island, with a population of 57,000, and is also a founding member of NATO.
Straddling the Arctic circle between the US, Russia and Europe, the island offers a unique geopolitical advantage that America has eyed for more than 150 years.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was not surprised the US wants control of Greenland given its long-time interest in the mineral-rich territory.
“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration,” Mr Putin said.
Two events this week will give Greenland and friends in Europe a juddering sense of alarm.
From the West, the US vice president JD Vance has landed for a controversial visit, despatched by a president openly talking of annexation.
From the East a speech from a Russian leader hinting at carving up the Arctic and its vast mineral wealth with Moscow’s new friends in Washington.
Image: The US vice president and his wife arrive at the US military base in Greenland. Pic: Reuters
In a closely watched speech, Vladimir Putin seemed to give Donald Trump’splans to seize Greenland the green light.
They were “serious”, he said, and “have deep historical roots”.
Kremlin officials went further saying Russia was open to cooperating with America to exploit the Arctic with “joint investment”.
The Arctic is a huge prize. Its vast mineral wealth is increasingly accessible thanks to climate change.
More on Greenland
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Russia is well placed to exploit it with bases and ports ringing the Arctic Circle.
Mr Putin though warned that “NATO countries in general are increasingly designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts”.
Image: A map of what surrounds the Arctic Circle
This would appear to be a warning to European nations to back off.
Yet another challenge for Europe
The threat of Russia and America jointly exploiting the Arctic in a great power carve-up is yet another challenge for Europe in this new Trumpian world order. And Greenland is caught in the middle.
Mr Trump has said he thinks the American annexation of Greenland “will happen”.
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3:04
What do Greenlanders make of Trump?
He said so with breezy nonchalance in front of NATO’s secretary general in the White House as if taking another alliance member’s territory was entirely normal.
Astonishingly NATO secretary general Mark Rutte did not push back at the idea.
But it seems the Trump administration is determined one way or another to acquire more territory and Greenland seems top of the list.
And its president may have been persuaded by Mr Putin it is in his best interests to share the world with Russia, whatever that means for America’s allies.
US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene hit the headlines this week when she told Sky’s US correspondent Martha Kelner to “go back to your own country”.
It was the latest controversy in a political career for the Republican firebrand – a staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
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2:45
Sky reporter told ‘go back to your own country’
But who is she and how influential has she become?
Host Jonathan Samuels speaks to Tia Mitchell, Washington bureau chief for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who has been covering Ms Taylor Greene since she first entered politics five years ago.
She tells us what she’s like in person, how she emerged and her most controversial moments.