Mom Left Her Baby Alone In Her Bed Room, Then She Heard Her Husband’s Screams

On February 28, 2016, Carrie and Larry Vollmer of Fort Worth, Texas, put their 17-month-old daughter to bed like it was any other night. She cried a little, but as usual, after a few minutes, she fell asleep. Unfortunately for this happy family, they were about to discover something terrible the next morning that would change their lives forever.

The married couple had created a happy home with their two children, Jackson, 3, and Sammy, 17 months. With everything in place, the four of them led an idyllic life. Carrie probably never would have believed that something so horrible awaited them. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our channel and click the notification bell to get inspired by these real-life stories every day. Now back to the story.

It was Larry, Sammy’s father, who made the hellish discovery that fateful day. Larry had to endure something no parent should ever have to endure. He entered and found the lifeless body of his princess in her cradle. “The desperation and panicked screams in my husband’s voice the next morning as he went to get her upstairs is something I will never forget,” Carrie later wrote on Facebook in April 2016. In the family home, Sammy’s room was on the second floor. upstairs, while his mother and father slept in the master bedroom downstairs. Sammy’s older brother, Jackson, was having trouble sleeping, so he joined them downstairs in their room.

The next morning, Larry went up the stairs to pick up his daughter, but he quickly realized something was wrong when he felt the heat. “As soon as I got to the top of the stairs it was really hot, I mean hot,” Larry told WFAA. But unfortunately, it was too late for Sammy. “I ran into her room and opened her door and found out she had passed away,” Larry said. The temperature on the two floors of the house was controlled by different systems. When the family went to bed that night, the second floor thermostat was set at 72 degrees Fahrenheit. However, a malfunction in the coming hours would change the family’s life forever.

The next morning, the system error had allowed temperatures to soar, leaving fragile Sammy sleeping in a room heated well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. “The temperature recorded on our thermostat was 99 degrees, which was as high as it could be, meaning it was over a hundred degrees,” Carrie wrote. And despite attempts to revive her, less than an hour after Larry discovered her little body, Sammy was pronounced dead.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner later recorded the cause of death as hyperthermia due to elevated body temperature. The grieving parents, meanwhile, wondered why they had never heard Sammy cry. After doctors explained that Sammy had died in her sleep, the couple realized that their baby would not have been able to make a sound before her body failed. More heartbreaking news came when doctors warned that due to his age, if Jackson had been in his usual room that night, he too could have died. “Young children cannot regulate their own body temperature and do not sweat as much as adults, making them more susceptible to overheating,” Dr. Todd Wolf, a Fort Worth pediatric emergency physician, told the Star-Telegram. .

Searching for an answer, Carrie replayed the events of the previous night. She let Sammy say goodnight to her father, then took him to the bedroom. After rocking Sammy in her sleeping bag, Carrie placed her daughter in the crib for what would be the last time. This bag was just one of the many ways Carrie tried to keep her baby safe. In addition to keeping stuffed animals and pillows out of the crib, Carrie also made sure her babies had breathing monitors until they were a year old. As a self-confessed warrior, Carrie truly believed she had eliminated as much risk as possible. .

Unfortunately, there is a risk that no one anticipated. While preparing to become a mother, I read several books and stories about the possible dangers that could harm babies and toddlers,” Carrie wrote. “I wish I had read this warning about heating systems somewhere once. » We could have made sure Carrie kept the breathing monitor or invested in a thermometer, then maybe everything could have been different.

After learning the terrible news that Sammy’s death was due to a malfunction in the heating system, the Vollmers found an attorney and began investigating a lawsuit against the heater’s manufacturer. The family needed explanations; their baby had died a death similar to those left in hot cars too long, but had done so in the safety of his room. And Carrie felt like she had to take action. Shortly after the incident, Carrie began spending her evenings searching for similar events online, and that’s when she decided to create a Facebook page in memory of her daughter, called “Remembering Sammy Joyce Vollmer.” » Over the past year, the family has posted memorable stories, photos and videos of their princess as they remembered her.

Additionally, this Facebook page had an even more important purpose. Carrie’s goal is to spread Sammy’s story in hopes that this series of heartbreaking events doesn’t happen to anyone else. The message pinned to Sammy’s Facebook page ends with a call to share the post. “We want others, especially those with two-story homes, to hear Sammy’s story so that children can be protected and other families are spared the horrible heartbreak we are forced to endure each day. » With over 21,000 shares, Carrie’s first Facebook post has since gone viral. People have reached out to his family to express their love and support, as well as to share their own stories. It also became clear that Sammy’s page could also save lives.

Some of the nightmarish incidents readers have shared with Carrie seem as harrowing as her own story. In addition to many close shaves, Carrie has heard of children turning blue and having to be thrown in the bathtub, as well as parents who walked into rooms that were 90 degrees Fahrenheit. One thing is certain, Carrie’s experience was not unique.

Unfortunately, nothing will bring Sammy back, and for this devastated family, the nightmare will continue. “We missed her every second of the day,” Carrie told WFAA. “There is a very big hole in our family without her here. » The door to Sammy’s room is now always open; her white wooden crib still stands and stuffed toys fill the room. “I can’t stand to see the door closed,” Carrie told the Star-Telegram. “I never want to feel like we forgot her.” » If you like the video, please give it a like and share it with someone who might find it interesting.