Left in the Heat | The Deaths of Cooper Harris & Tanna Rae Wroblewski

Timestamps:
(6:30) - Asa Ellerup wears her wedding ring & brings their dog to Rex's hearing
(10:23) - The Mormon wives get a Hulu docuseries (Taylor Frankie Paul)
(13:23) - Lauren Dickason update
(15:08 )- Heat Related Deaths

On average, 37 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle. 

In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss two cases where children died after being left unattended in the heat.

Justin ‘Ross’ Harris and his wife Leanna had been having marriage troubles for years.  They were trying to stick it out, despite Ross’ having numerous affairs.  The couple had one child together, Cooper. 

In June 2014, Ross texted one of the women he had been seeing and said "I need an escape. I love my son and all but we both need an escape.”

Later that day, Ross took Cooper to breakfast and was meant to drop him off to daycare.  After driving for a mile, Ross somehow forgot that Cooper was in his car seat.  Ross parked the car in direct sunlight, got out of the vehicle and went into work.

Seven hours later, after internal temperatures in the car reached around 125f, Ross left work and drove off.  Minutes later, he realized what he had done.  Cooper was dead in his car seat.

Ross was charged with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, cruelty to children in the first and second degree, criminal attempt to commit a felony and dissemination of harmful materials to minors.  Many of these charges stemmed from Ross’ inappropriate communications with underage females that he engaged in sexting with.

Ross was convicted in 2016.  He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole plus 32 years.  

However, in 2024, Ross was released from prison.  A court ruled that there should have been separate trials for the murder charges and the sex-crime charges and his convictions were overturned.

Read our blog for this case

In the second case, we discuss the death of 4-month-old Tanna Rae Wroblewski.  Tanna Rae was allegedly left alone on a boat in 121f heat on the July 4th weekend this year.  Her parents were said to be swimming and cooling off.  When they returned to check Tanna Rae some time later, she was bleeding from the ears.  The baby was transported to hospital where she passed from heat-related conditions.  There is an investigation into the baby’s death ongoing.

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