MADISONVILLE - A man faces murder charges after he allegedly left his 21-month-old daughter in a hot car for nine hours. 

Joseph Boatman, 35, was arrested Sunday after a family member found his daughter alone in a car outside of a Madisonville-area home. 

The girl was reportedly left in the car for more than nine hours. 

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office found that Boatman arrived to pick her up from a family member's home around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. After strapping her inside the car, he went back inside the residence and never returned. 

It was also learned that before he came to pick her up, Boatman allegedly drank multiple alcoholic beverages. 

“This is a devastating loss that no family ever wants to face,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “When a child is left in a vehicle, especially on a day when the heat index climbs over 100 degrees, the outcome can turn deadly in a matter of minutes. This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking.”

Boatman was arrested for second-degree murder.