3-year-old found dead in van outside church

By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An autopsy will be conducted Monday afternoon for a 3-year-old girl who was found dead in a minivan at a Canton church.

The girl and her three older sisters were at Souls Harbor Word of Faith Church on Sunday while their father, Michael Ingram, rehearsed with the church band. At 5:20 p.m., when it was time to go, no one could find the 3-year-old.

One of her sisters found her on the floor in the back of the family's Kia Sedona, not breathing. The 3-year-old's skin "was hot and wet," the sister told police. Three adults performed CPR, but the girl was pronounced dead at Northside Cherokee Hospital.

"It was certainly hot, but the autopsy will be the final determination," Cherokee County Sheriff's Lt. Jay Baker said. "We don't want to speculate."

No foul play is suspected. According to the report, the 3-year-old previously had opened the minivan's door by herself.

The morning began with the family attending church services. Then the mother, Tina Ingram, left "to do volunteer ministry" at a prison in Atlanta, the report states. The father took the four girls to lunch and returned for band rehearsal.

The girls, including the 3-year-old, played inside the church, then the older ones fell asleep on the pews, according to the report.

It's unclear how long the 3-year-old was missing before she was discovered. Police did not release the names of the 3-year-old or her sisters