By Rachel Olding
A three-year-old child has died after being locked in a car at a property in Sydney's north-west on Christmas eve.
The young girl's family found her unconscious on the back seat of their white sedan in Cameo Circuit, Glenwood, about 4.45pm.
When police arrived, family were performing CPR inside the home, with police taking over until the arrival of NSW Ambulance paramedics.
A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said that, when paramedics arrived, the girl was in cardiac arrest.
A crime scene was established around the white sedan the girl was discovered in.Credit: TNV
She was rushed to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition, but later died.
Fairfax Media understands the girl's mother has told police there was confusion over who was looking after the little girl.
It's believed the family returned home to Glenwood on Saturday afternoon following some Christmas shopping.
The mother thought the girl's grandmother or aunt, who were both at the Glenwood home, were looking after the toddler however the grandmother and aunt thought the mother was.
Police comfort family members at the scene.Credit: TNV
Police have been told no one in the family could account for the girl's whereabouts for about two hours up to 4.45pm, the length of time they believe she was left in the car.
The temperature in north-west Sydney reached its peak of about 29 degrees about 3pm on Saturday.
Police believe the girl may have been in the car for two hours,Credit: TNV
A crime scene was established at the location on Saturday while police from Quakers Hill Local Area Command examined the family's car and began investigating all circumstances surrounding the girl's death.
On Sunday - Christmas Day, the toddler's grief-stricken family were visited by numerous relatives and friends, many of whom were congregated outside the home and seen pacing nearby streets, visibly distressed by the tragic events that had unfolded.
The incident follows a warning that was issued last month by the NRMA about the potentially devastating consequences of leaving children and pets in locked cars.
A total of 2243 babies and 1655 pets were rescued by NRMA patrols in the past year from locked vehicles across NSW and ACT. A third of those rescues occurred at shopping centre car parks. A large portion of the call outs related to accidental lock ins.
Police have asked anyone with information to come forward and assist