Homicide charges and a ‘terrible accident’: 2 very different outcomes for S. Carolina hot car deaths

A grandmother has been arrested for homicide by child abuse in South Carolina after her 18-month-old grandson died in a hot car in May, authorities said.

The boy died after spending at least four hours in the car, the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said.

The grandmother’s SUV, which was not running and had its windows up, was parked on her driveway, The Greenville News reported.

Janik Nix, 64, was charged Wednesday with homicide by child abuse, after "investigators determined Nix was negligent while the victim was in her care," the sheriff's office said.

She remains in custody and has a court date set for Oct. 29. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney, according to court records.

Meanwhile, this Sunday in Rock Hill, South Carolina, a 2-year-old boy died after he left his family's home, got into their car and locked himself inside, Rock Hill Police said in a news release Wednesday.

The temperature reached 87 degrees in Rock Hill that day.

The death of Lamartray Adams Jr. appeared to be a "terrible accident," police said in the news release, adding that no charges are being filed at this time.

At least 38 children have died in hot cars in the U.S. this year, according to KidsandCars.org, an organization that works to gather data and raise awareness about the dangers of unattended children in cars.

Four of those 38 deaths were in South Carolina, the organization said.