Mom Accidentally Left Baby In Hot Car And 7 Years Later She’s Back On TV

Brenda Slaby was a hardworking mother of two, a wife, and a respected assistant principal. But life changed in an instant on the morning of August 23, 2007.

Brenda always tried her hardest to be a “supermom,” but her attempt to be perfect often left her feeling frazzled and overwhelmed. On that August day, Brenda would become “the most hated mom in America.”

It was the first day back at school for the teachers and students, and it got off to a busy and frantic start. Brenda’s husband Gary had a dentist appointment, which threw off the couple’s normal routine. She had a staff meeting, she had to pick up snacks for her coworkers, and she had to take her 2-year-old daughter Cecilia to the babysitter’s house.

The day moved along, and 4 p.m. rolled around. Brenda was getting ready to go home when a fellow teacher ran into her office and said, “Brenda, your baby’s in the car.”

In a panic, Brenda ran to the parking lot and found Cecilia — still strapped into her car seat.

Little Cecilia died of heatstroke. Brenda had accidentally left her in the car for almost eight hours while the temperature climbed to 100 degrees. Brenda’s life as she knew it was over.

She was not charged in Cecilia’s death, but she told Oprah that her community was outraged. “I was the most hated mom.”

Seven years later, Brenda appeared on Oprah: Where Are They Now? to update viewers on her life. A lot had changed — including her marriage — and she shared a warning to other parents.

“It’s your wake-up call to slow down,” Oprah said. “What happened to my guest today could so easily happen to any of you.”

Watch the video below to hear Brenda tell her gut-wrenching story, and please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook.