A 32-year-old Florida mother has been sentenced to three decades in prison for the death of her newborn after she left her in her Chevy Tahoe on a hot day for four hours. 

Megan Dauphin was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter for her daughter, McKinlee Grace Garner’s death in April, and on Wednesday, a judge handed her the maximum sentence.

Dauphin reportedly drove with her baby to buy cigarettes and returned home, leaving the newborn in the hot truck on September 2, 2020. Her stepdaughter couldn’t find the baby four hours later, so she asked Dauphin about McKinlee. When Dauphin realized she had left her in the vehicle, she rushed outside to the truck but the baby was already dead. Authorities say Dauphin was high on methamphetamine at the time, and they found drug paraphernalia consistent with the use of methamphetamine in her home. Investigators also tested Dauphin for drugs on the day of the incident, which showed she was under the influence of methamphetamine in the morning.

During the trial, Dauphin’s family and friends testified that she was a good person who made a mistake and was in shock after her daughter’s death. Her sister, Tiffany Dauphin, told the court that her sister was a loving person who had always been there to help anyone in the family and loved kids. Dauphin also said in court that she is still shattered over her daughter’s death and tries to be there for her other children daily.

Dauphin’s friend, Robin Howell, testified during her trial in April and shared how distraught Dauphin was after her daughter’s death. Howell said she tried to console Dauphin by telling her everything would be okay, but Dauphin said nothing would be okay because she was going to prison. Additionally, Howell testified that Dauphin messaged her on Facebook the following day and confessed that she had drugs in her system at the time of McKinlee’s death.

Dauphin’s lawyers can appeal the sentencing within 30 days.