Ariya Renee Paige

July 19, 2023

This is Ariya Renee Paige. Her parents, Justis and Brooke Paige have been high school sweethearts since 2016 and were married on October 9, 2021. Soon after, they knew they were ready to start a family. In January 2022, they found out they were pregnant with Ariya. Everyone was so excited! Ariya was due in October 2022, but due to preeclampsia, she was born on September 4, 2022 (34 weeks and two days) at 11:31 AM. She weighed 4lbs 2oz and had everyone wrapped around her tiny little finger from her first breath! Ariya remained in the NICU for two weeks before being discharged on September 18, 2022. At home, she was surrounded by love and spoiled by her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. Ariya made it easy for Justis and Brooke to be parents because she was such a good baby! They spent every single day of maternity/paternity leave with her. While they dreaded being away from her, at the end of Brooke’s 12-week maternity leave, they knew it was time to find a babysitter so she could return to work. Thankfully, a family member volunteered to babysit, which worked out great until her kids were home for summer break.

Brooke reached out to a long-time family friend and asked her if she could babysit Ariya; she babysat for other children, so Brooke thought Ariya would be well cared for and safe. She agreed to babysit Ariya on Mondays and Wednesdays for 5 hours from 8 AM to 1 PM. Brooke and Justis also asked his mom, Pamela, a registered nurse who worked from home, to help out temporarily, and she was happy to help by watching Ariya at her home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Brooke’s mom, Monique, got off work early on Fridays so she could watch Ariya.

Starting in May 2023, the babysitter would arrive at Justis and Brooke’s home to pick up Ariya around 8 to 8:30 AM on her scheduled days. She’d drive Ariya to another residence a few miles south of the Paige home, where she babysat her and three other children. Around 1 PM, Brooke would arrive to pick up Ariya. However, on July 19, 2023, Brooke arrived to find that the babysitter had left Ariya in the backseat of her SUV for the entire 5 hours that she had her. Tragically, Ariya died of vehicular heatstroke, and the babysitter was charged with manslaughter.

Ariya was a beautiful, healthy, perfect 10-month-old baby girl who adored her mommy and daddy. Her first words were “da-da.” She was a daddy’s girl but had her mommy’s “mini-me” attitude! She loved music and enjoyed having jam sessions with her mommy every time they went for a ride in the car. Ariya was starting to pull herself up onto everything and trying to walk. She loved the beach and being on the water. Justis had already bought her a brand-new boat for her upcoming first birthday. He just wanted her to enjoy life and everything they did together as a family.

While losing Ariya has been excruciatingly painful for Justis, Brooke, and all of Ariya’s loved ones, they have rallied to keep Ariya’s memory and the fight for justice alive. In October 2023, Ariya’s grandmother, Pamela Paige (“Granny”), began efforts to create Ariya’s Law and led the charge to get the idea before the Florida Legislators. After meeting with Senator Jennifer Bradley and State Representative Charles (Chuck) Brannan, they worked expeditiously to get Ariya’s Act written and passed with bipartisan support through the Florida House and Senate. On April 16, 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Ariya’s Act into law, designating April as Hot Car Death Prevention Month in Florida to spread education and awareness on the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles and the penalties around it. “If we can prevent just one child from dying the way we lost our precious Ariya, she would not have died in vain,” said Pamela Paige when she presented before the Florida House and Senate.