Thursday, November 1, 2007

Court documents reveal that the father of a toddler left in a hot
car on Tuesday wanted full custody of his son.

The boy's mother, Ashly Duchene, was arrested on one count of
negligent homicide early Wednesday morning.

Duchene is still being closely watched, and it's possible that she
might have been transferred from Fourth Avenue Jail to another
facility.

Police said Duchene left her 17-month-old son, Ryan Gallagher, in
his car seat in her hot car for about seven hours on Tuesday.

Court documents show that the 22-year-old has attempted suicide in
the past. Court documents also suggest that Duchene suffers from
emotional problems and that "couldn't take it anymore."

Police believe Duchene was struggling with the responsibilities of
motherhood.

"She's not happy to care for her child," Sgt. Joel Tranter said.

Duchene reportedly told police she almost forgot Ryan in the car on
Monday.

The next day, she apparently forgot to take him to daycare before
going to work at a Valley Hooter's restaurant. She started work at
10 a.m., and got off at 5 p.m. That's when she found Ryan in the
car.

The decision was made to arrest Duchene on a charge of negligent
homicide early Wednesday morning.

Investigators do not believe Duchene intentionally left her son in
the car, but they're not calling it an accident, either.

"She was very neglectful," Tranter said. "She obviously failed to
care for her child. ... It was so grossly negligent that it rose to
the level of criminal charges."

Customers as well as strangers are dropping off flowers and teddy
bears at the restaurant. Hear from them on Thursday's "Good Evening
Arizona."

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/KTVKLNews20071101_duchene-
past-suicide-attempts.1c995f4d8.html

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