British authorities receive case over child allegedly left in car

South Iceland Police have completed their investigation into a case involving British parents suspected of leaving their five-year-old child alone in a rental car while they walked to Ófærufoss waterfall on August 9, mbl.is reports. The case has now been referred to British authorities.

The waterfall is located on the Nyrðri-Ófæra river in Eldgjá, in Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla.

“The case came to our attention the following day, when a ranger in the area reported it,” Íris Edda Heimisdóttir, a chief superintendent with South Iceland Police, told mbl.is. RÚV was the first outlet to report the case.

Police began searching for the vehicle and contacted other police districts to trace the travellers’ movements. They were unable to locate the couple before they left Iceland.

Police then contacted the British embassy after suspecting that the tourists were British. The investigation was conducted in cooperation with the embassy.

South Iceland Police have spoken to witnesses and handed over the relevant evidence to the appropriate authorities in Britain, should they decide to pursue the case there.

Police obtained the names of the vehicle’s renters from the rental company. Asked whether proving the case would be difficult, Heimisdóttir said it might not be.

“It does not necessarily have to be. We have witness statements that would, however, need to be considered at a later stage,” she said.

She added that the evidence could potentially become the final piece of a larger case elsewhere, saying the police had done their best to protect the interests of the child involved.