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Video shows deputy's dramatic rescue of Florida toddler left in hot car overnight

Posted at 8:09 AM, Aug 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-18 11:11:45-04

(KGTV) — Recently released video shows a Florida deputy rushing to save a toddler left in a hot car overnight on Father's Day.

Seminole County Sheriff's deputy Bill Dunn responded to a call for a stolen vehicle with a child possibly inside on June 17, 2018, in Sanford, Fla.

Dunn arrived to find a 2005 Toyota Corolla with its windows rolled up. Inside was a young girl, visibly in and out of consciousness. She had been inside the car for roughly 12 hours, according to the Miami Herald.

RELATED: Infant dies after being left in hot car in Florida

"Sadly I didn't think she was alive when I got to her," Dunn told Seminole County Sheriff's Office (SCSO). "I didn't feel a pulse."

Video released this week shows Dunn rushing to his vehicle with the 3-year-old girl limp in his arms.

When the deputy reached his vehicle and turned on the air conditioner, signs of life started to return to the girl.

"Once the cold air hit her, that's when I started noticing her eyes kind of fluttering," Dunn said.

RELATED: 12 tips to prevent child deaths in hot cars

After reaching the hospital, the girl was taken into trauma care. Three days later, the girl was able to leave the hospital.

“I remember one thing distinctively,” he said. “Putting my hand on her chest and feeling her heart racing. That was a good thing.”

The girl has since recovered, SCSO wrote on its Facebook page.

According to WESH2, the girl's mother, 33-year-old Casey Dyan Keller, was arrested and charged with child neglect with great bodily harm.