‘Our world stopped’: 10-year-old boy died in car boot while playing game of hide-and-seek

A young boy has died after being trapped in a car boot while playing a game of hide-and-seek.

Bently, 10, was playing at a home on Gange St in Mooroopna, 181km north of Melbourne, on Sunday afternoon when he took his mother’s car keys and climbed into the boot of the car.

When his mother discovered her keys were missing she rushed outside and found the young boy’s lifeless body.

Bloodcurdling screams could be heard coming from down the street.

Emergency services rushed to the scene where they performed CPR, but he could not be saved.

It is understood he suffered a suspected heart attack.

The mercury had reached a maximum of 35.5C on Sunday in the area.

Conditions can become especially hot inside a car, with temperatures climbing up to 70 per cent higher in an hour.

Bentley’s aunt Lainey said it was “a tragic end to a game of hide-and-seek”.

“Our world stopped,” she said in a post on GoFundMe.

“As a family, our hearts are broken as we try to find some sense in a place that no longer feels whole.”

The neurodiverse boy has been remembered as a “shining star” with an “inquisitive” mind.

Bentley loved cars and was a Minecraft enthusiast.

Bentley’s grandmother died two weeks prior to the tragedy, with the family seeking to raise $20,000 for his funeral expenses.

According to the Herald Sun, neighbours reported seeing the car doors and boot open, with one resident telling a concerned neighbour “don’t go over there”.

“Kids in cars is not a good mix,” a neighbour said.

They added the tragedy was “very sad’, especially so close to Christmas.

Locals offered their condolences, remembering Bentley as a “beautiful boy” and “a gorgeous soul”.

A friend of the family said that the incident was “purely a horrific accident that we all wish never occurred.”

Bentley’s mother was resting when she later discovered the keys were missing and went to search the car.

Another local, who spent the day in Cobram, returned home to find police and SES on the street, who informed him the boy had been inside the car boot “for a few hours”

The boy’s death is not being treated as suspicious and the circumstances into his death will continue to be investigated.

Police are preparing a report for the coroner.