Police in Dayton, Ohio, said a running car heater helped keep a 6-month-old alive as her mother sat dead in the front seat.
Investigators don't know how long Brittany Russell and her daughter, Haven Edwards, were in the car in the lot of Twin Manor Apartments before the property manager found Russell slumped over the steering wheel around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police said she was shot in the head and the baby was unharmed.
"Thank goodness the car was left running with the heater on," said Lt. Andrew Booher, commander of Dayton Police Homicide Unit. "I think that had a huge impact on ensuring the baby survived."
Dayton and Middletown police are working together to establish Russell's history and a timeline of the events leading up to her death. The 29-year-old has no history in Dayton, and investigators are working to determine why she traveled to the city. Both agencies are interviewing people close to Russell to assist in the investigation, which is being lead by Dayton police.
The timeline begins around 12 p.m. Tuesday, when Russell persuaded a babysitter to let Haven leave with her, even though she is not the custodial parent. Chris Edwards, the father, told Middletown police he did not give Russell permission to leave with the baby.
When Edwards called Russell, she told him she would return by 7 p.m. but she didn't show, according to a release from Middletown Police. When he called again, Russell told him she would return later that night.
Edwards reported Haven missing around 5 a.m. to Middletown police. Dayton Police found the infant and her mother's body around 9:30 a.m.
Edwards initially told police this wasn't Russell's typical behavior and he was worried about her safety. Russell had a drug history he told police, according to the news release. Booher said police were told Russell had been clean for a while. No drugs were found in the car with her.
