Halton Regional Police say they have laid criminal charges against the maternal grandmother of a Milton toddler who died after being left in a hot car.

Maximus Huyskens, who died a month before his second birthday, was in his grandmother's care when he was left alone in a sweltering car behind his parents' home June 26.

Police did not explain the circumstances of how the boy was left in the car.

His father was at work and his mother was at an appointment at the time, police said.

At his funeral Wednesday, Rev. Peter Tuyen Nguyen described Huyskens’ death as a “freak accident” and urged mourners to support the boy’s parents and two older siblings.

Police say the boy's 51-year-old grandmother, Leslie McDonald, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life.

McDonald is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 14.

The investigation was handled by homicide detectives, which is standard protocol in the death of a child under five.

Police spokesman Sgt. Dave Cross said the incident serves as a tragic reminder for parents and caregivers.

“At no point in time should any child be left in a vehicle, whether it’s running, unattended, hot, cold – any sort of conditions,” Cross told CP24.

There have been at least two similar incidents in Canada in the last week.

Earlier this week, a three-year-old Edmonton girl died after she was found in a hot car. In that incident, Edmonton police ruled no crime took place.

Police said the girl was not left in the car by a caregiver, but they didn't provide any details about how she wound up in the vehicle. However, the vehicle she was found in was not locked, police said.

Last week, York Regional Police charged a woman with child abandonment after a two-year-old girl was rescued from a hot car in a Markham parking lot. Police say the girl, who was taken to hospital as a precaution, was alone in the car with the windows rolled up on a day of extreme heat.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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