'His eyes are looking at me but he's not talking': Grandmother reveals she is haunted by the tragic death of her 22-month-old grandson - who died when she left him in a car on a 35C day
- Toddler Jone Rowlands died when accidentally locked in a hot car last month
- Was in the care of his grandmother Valerie at the time of the tragedy in Sydney
- Her daughter Samantha Rowlands doesn't blame her for her son's death
- The pair have publicly shared their story with a powerful message to parents
The broken grandmother of a boy who tragically died after being left trapped in a car on a 35C day has spoken about the moment she realised the toddler was missing.
Valerie Foley was babysitting for her daughter Samantha Rowlands, a mother-of-six, when her 22-month-old grandson Jonè was found unconscious in the family car at Chester Hill, in Sydney's south-west on February 3.
The doting grandmother had accidentally dozed off after returning from a drive, not realising her youngest grandson was locked in the car until two hours later.
When she woke up she noticed Jonè wasn't with his other siblings, who were playing with water in the garden. She asked her young granddaughter to have a look for him.
'I said, 'oh run, go quickly and have a look', because I was inside,' Valerie told Nine's A Current Affair.
'And then she just came back inside, screaming and crying and she said, 'Nan he's in the car and his eyes are looking at me but he's not talking'.'
The devastating family tragedy has brought Samantha Rowlands (right) and her mother Valerie Foley (left) closer together and now have a stronger bond
Ms Rowlands said she didn't blame her mother for the tragic death, and had forgiven her for the accident.
'I've lost my baby and I don't blame her, so no-one else should,' she said.
'Just an accident, what happened and at the end of the day she's still my mum and I love her.'
A distraught Ms Foley said she remains riddled with guilt over that tragic day, where she had to be rushed to hospital to be treated for shock.
Ms Rowlands was at a football game when she got the call every parent dreads and rushed home, where she was was seen running down the street screaming 'my baby' after she was told of the news of her youngest child's death.
Toddler Jone (pictured) was found unconscious in a hot car outside the family home in February and couldn't be revived at the scene
Samantha Rowlands (pictured) hopes other parents don't make the same tragic mistake
In an emotional interview, Ms Rowlands and Valerie shared their story with the program in the hope of stopping other parents from making the same horrifying mistake.
They had this powerful message.
'It can happen to anyone, it doesn't matter who you are,' Ms Rowlands said.
'All sorts of stuff can take your mind off your child, but you need to ... I don't know how to describe it. They need to be number one priority before anything else, because they're too precious.'
Jone (pictured) was the youngest of Ms Rowlands' six children. He was also a twin
More than 5000 children are rescued from unattended car each year.
Jone was eighth fatality in Australia in the last ten years.
The temperature inside a parked car can be more than 30 degrees hotter than outside the car, according to the NRMA.
Up to 75 per cent of the temperature increase occurs within five minutes of the car being closed.
'A child left in a parked car under those conditions for even a few minutes can very quickly become distressed, dehydrated and can die from organ failure,' the NRMA website states.
'They need to be number one priority before anything else, because they're too precious,' heartbroken mother Samantha, pictured with Jone's twin and her mother Valerie said
In the days after last month's tragedy, Ms Rowlands said the family was 'struggling to survive day to day'.
'Having six kids, we are struggling to survive day-to-day and we are finding it hard to give the service that Jone deserves,' she told Daily Mail Australia at the time.
'He was a bright and adventurous little baby that would light up the room when you walked in.'
She added: family members were 'working hard to find our feet again' and had 'lost the family car' over the accident.
A fundraiser to help pay for Jone's funeral attracted more than $1,300 in donations.
22-month-old Jone (pictured) was the eighth child in Australia in the last ten years to die after being left unattended in a hot car
No one has been charged over the incident, which NSW Police described at the time as a 'tragic accident'.
Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia the family were quiet and mostly kept to themselves.
Frank Ingrati, who lives next door, said he was on friendly terms with the household, and they even gifted him a hamper at Christmas.
'They're a really friendly family, keep to themselves, a really nice quiet family where the kids play in the backyard,' he said.
'They give me no trouble at all.'
Jone's mother described him as a bright and adventurous little baby who lit up the room
Jone's grandmother (pictured in the days after the tragedy) was babysitting at the time
He said there were often visits from extended family, with cousins coming to play in an inflatable pool they kept in the backyard after school hours.
'Sometimes there are three cars [parked out the front] sometimes one, so it's hard to keep track, he explained.
Mr Ingrati said both the mother and grandmother of the children lived at the home, and both appeared to be devoted guardians.
'It's a shocking tragedy,' he said.
Samantha Rowlands (pictured the day after the tragedy) was at a football game when she got the phone call every parent dreads
- 7 News Sydney on Twitter: "Chester Hill: A major police investigation is underway tonight after the tragic death of a baby boy. The baby boy is believed to have died after being left in hot car. @sarinanastasi #7News¿ https://t.co/nKXu2C6K ...
- A Current Affair: Toddler's tragic death in hot car prompts family's powerful safety message - latest news Australia
