PITTSBURGH -- A mother accused of leaving her toddler in a car overnight during a storm with the windows and sunroof down pleaded not guilty in court Friday afternoon at her preliminary hearing.

Pittsburgh police said the 13-month-old daughter of Brandi Morgan, 25, was found by neighbors in Homewood, wet and covered in leaves the morning of July 18.

According to Morgan's lawyers, she is a good mother who had been working double-shifts for three days. They said she made an unintended mistake.


"They didn't get home until well after midnight that night," said defense attorney Martin Dietz. "They unloaded some things up in the house and unfortunately, she fell asleep."

Neighbors on Brushton Avenue said the girl was treated at a hospital for exposure.

When Morgan was first questioned, according to police, she denied having a child.

Then, she said she forgot her baby was in the car and blamed her forgetfulness on working overtime, police said.

"Completely deny that," said Dietz. "What she said was, 'I don't have my child.'

Morgan is free on $10,000 bond. She faces charges of reckless endangerment, child endangerment and leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. A charge of resisting arrest was dismissed on Friday.

Her daughter was released from the hospital to the custody of a relative.

I remember when this story first broke and it still bothers me. That poor little girl - I can't even imagine how scary it must have been for her to be alone in the car during a storm like that.

A lot of people work long hours, i dont think thats an excuse she should use!

I don't get it...do people think an "excuse" makes you not guilty? You still friggin did it! I'm tired as hell with my husband being gone, but would never leave the baby in the car! Also, whenever unloading stuff, unless he is asleep and the car is in the garage with the garage door closed, he is the FIRST thing to come inside...the milk and ice cream can wait on me to put him in an excersaucer!

I don't get it...do people think an "excuse" makes you not guilty? You still friggin did it! I'm tired as hell with my husband being gone, but would never leave the baby in the car! Also, whenever unloading stuff, unless he is asleep and the car is in the garage with the garage door closed, he is the FIRST thing to come inside...the milk and ice cream can wait on me to put him in an excersaucer!

I leave Tandis in the carseat while I unload the groceries, but I have the door open and I talk to him the whole time. I only leave him in so he won't run out the door and into the street while I'm unloading and opening the front door over and over.

STILL she has no excuse. Why the hell was her kid less important to her than everything else? I bet she didn't forget her purse.

I am just amazed that you can just forget something you gave life too!

I leave Tandis in the carseat while I unload the groceries, but I have the door open and I talk to him the whole time. I only leave him in so he won't run out the door and into the street while I'm unloading and opening the front door over and over.

STILL she has no excuse. Why the hell was her kid less important to her than everything else? I bet she didn't forget her purse.

Well, Preston's only 8 months so he's not really going to go anywhere :giggle

tired or not, double shifts or not-there is no excuse that makes that ok-:banghead

We live upstairs in a condo and whenever I have groceries, Lydia goes in her crib so I don't have to mess with the baby gate, the door, worry about where she is, etc. I just plop her in there with a toy and sippy, sometimes she cries but fussing for a few minutes isn't going to hurt her.

No way I would ever forget her in the car, I don't care how tired I was.