Social media posts portray the father of a little girl who died after she was mistakenly left in a sweltering car as a loving dad.
Etienne Ancelet’s world was turned upside down on Tuesday afternoon when he discovered his one-year-old daughter Olivia dead in the family car outside her Earlwood daycare centre in Sydney‘s inner-west.
The 14-month-old was still strapped in her baby capsule outside Jelly Beings Early Learning Centre just after 5.30pm after she was mistakenly left in the car for hours as temperatures outside exceeded 30C.
Olivia couldn’t be revived.
‘Olivia was a sweet and beautiful baby, who was the light of our lives,’ Mr Ancelet and his partner Kim Visconti said in a statement.
‘We are humbled and grateful for the time we had her. We are devastated by what has unfolded. We do not wish this on any parent.’
Facebook posts show Mr Ancelet as a loving father who readily embraced being a first-time parent following Olivia’s birth in December 2023.
‘Four days in and she’s yet to edit a single video…,’ the first photo of Olivia was captioned.
Social media posts show Etienne Ancelet as a proud first-time dad to baby Olivia
Etienne Ancelet and partner Kim Visconti recently celebrated their daughter Olivia’s first birthday
Several days later, Mr Ancelet uploaded a photo of him cradling his newborn daughter with her tiny hand wrapped around his index finger.
‘You’re going to be a fantastic Dad, I just know it’, a friend wrote.
A few months later in March, Mr Ancelet shared a photo of him and Olivia napping together with his baby girl fast asleep in his arms.
‘My most memorable birthday yet,’ he captioned the photo.
In another post that month, he joked that his daughter had ‘officially passed her three-month probation period’ as he shared a photo of a delighted Olivia being held in the air.
‘Despite her lack of experience, Olivia has added a youthful energy to the team,’ he wrote.
‘Her upbeat attitude has been indispensable during stressful late nights and we look forward to seeing what she can bring to the table with a little more guidance and a clean nappy.
Police try to comfort Etienne Ancelet after he found his daughter Olivia dead in a hot car
‘Four days in and she’s yet to edit a single video…,’ the first Facebook photo of Olivia was captioned
Facebook posts show that Etienne Ancelet readily embraced being a first-time parent following Olivia’s birth in December 2023
‘If you see Olivia around, be sure to say hi!
‘Unless it’s naptime … then just be very, very quiet.’
In the comments, a friend said: ‘Keeping her then?’
Mr Ancelet replied: ‘Yeah, apparently it’s a long-term investment.’
In a video shared to Facebook, Mr Ancelet can be seen pushing little Olivia along as she rides a small cart across the wooden floor of the house with a helmet on.
‘Guess who signed up to Uber Eats! Don’t forget to tip your baby rider – she’s saving up for her HECS debt,’ he said.
Olivia, 14 months, died after she was mistakenly left in a hot car for hours
Dozens of parents dropping off their kids at childcare laid flowers at the scene on Wednesday
But the social media posts were understandably filled with sorrow on Tuesday night.
In the hours after his daughter’s death, Mr Ancelet changed his social media profile picture to black tiles.
Mr Ancelet is part of the graphic design, social media and marketing collateral team at CHEX Community Gift Cards which was launched in 2020 by Uniting Harris Community Centre.
His partner Kim Visconti is the web designer.
