GREENSBORO, N.C., July 1, 2025 – Twenty‑five‑year‑old Jayla Branch appeared virtually before a judge on Monday, formally charged with intentional felony child abuse causing serious bodily injury after investigators say she left her one‑year‑old son unattended in a hot vehicle for hours this past Saturday. Prosecutors detailed alarming new information about the incident during their hearing.
Court records reveal that Branch, employed as a certified nursing assistant, brought her toddler to work due to a lack of childcare. To prevent anyone from noticing the child in the back seat, she covered the rear passenger windows with blankets. She placed him in a car seat with a bagel and apple juice before entering the home where she worked.
Her vehicle had a remote feature allowing it to stay running for extended periods. Branch routinely checked on her son, but around 11:30 a.m., she discovered he wasn’t breathing. Instead of calling 911 immediately, prosecutors say she drove the child to her residence on Arlington Street, dialled emergency services from home, changed out of her uniform, and began cleaning her house—even after emergency responders transported her son to the hospital.
Greensboro mother charged with a felony
Authorities raised concerns over previous incidents involving Branch. Police were called twice in successive months—August and September of last year—when the infant was discovered alone in a hot car. Prosecutors noted that those prior occurrences will be critical in the trial.
Branch has no prior criminal history, but disclosed that she endured a personal tragedy in late 2023 when a prior infant succumbed to sudden infant death syndrome.
The young boy remains hospitalised in critical condition, suffering from heat stroke, seizures, and an initial temperature of nearly 104°F. Prosecutors say he has sustained damage to his brain, liver, and kidneys. “It was so hot that even dogs could not be walked outside,” Assistant District Attorney Kelly Thompson remarked, underscoring the extreme danger of the environment the child endured.
Branch’s next court date is scheduled for August 26, as the case proceeds amid growing attention in the community.
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