Oregon DHS employee arrested for child neglect after infant left in car

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Kenneth Michael Anderson, an Oregon Department of Human Services employee, was arrested yesterday on a charge of second-degree child neglect. Police said Anderson left an eight-month-old child in an unattended vehicle for 30 minutes this past Tuesday at the agency's office in Bend.

Anderson, a 56-year-old family time coordinator, had driven the infant to the SW Emkay Drive office following a supervised family visit in Redmond. The child was evaluated at St. Charles Bend and released without injury to her resource parents.

According to investigators, the baby fell asleep during the drive from Redmond to Bend. Anderson parked the van at the welfare office at approximately 2:30 p.m., walked into the building and subsequently left the premises in a different vehicle to travel to another location. The infant remained in the parked van.

Within 30 minutes, Anderson realized he had forgotten the child and contacted his supervisor. The supervisor located the baby in the unlocked vehicle and provided care until the child could be transported to the hospital for evaluation.

Bend Police received a report regarding the incident at approximately 1:37 p.m. on Wednesday. Following an investigation, detectives arrested Anderson the next day.

National safety data provides context on the dangers of leaving children in vehicles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a child's body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult's temperature. In 2025, 31 children died of heatstroke after being left in hot vehicles.