FAIRFAX, Va. - Trial began Monday for the father charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of his 21-month-old son, who was left in a hot SUV for nine hours.

Miles H. Harrison told investigators he forgot to drop off his son at daycare on July 8, 2008, leaving him unattended in his SUV after he went to work, police said. The child was not found until 5 p.m., when a co-worker apparently spotted the child in his car seat in the parking lot and notified Harrison.

Police say Harrison ran to the SUV and collapsed. Harrison was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Herndon Police Officers and members of the Fairfax County (web | news) Fire and Rescue responded to the call around 5 p.m. and found the toddler, Chase Harrison, alone in the vehicle. 

They discovered the boy had been in the vehicle for an extended period of time when temperatures had soared to the mid-90s. The toddler was pronounced dead at the scene.

Miles Harrison at the time of his arrest on July 8, 2008.

Defense attorneys say Harrison loved his son, but was distracted by work problems that morning. They say he was not accustomed to dropping Chase off at the Ashburn Childcare Center -- his wife usually did that. The couple had just adopted the child three months earlier from Russia.

While prosecutors don't believe Miles Harrison intended to harm his son, he didn't embrace the expanded responsibilities of being a parent. Prosecutors pointed out that Harrison put his child into his carseat, directly behind the driver. They add Harrison remembered to drop off clothes at the dry cleaner that morning, and he remembered to grab his backpack with his work materials from the front seat.

The Harrisons, who live in a Purcellville subdivision in Loudoun County (web | news) , had worked tirelessly to adopt their son from Russia, according to one neighbor.

Harrison waived his right to a jury trial. A judge will hear the case. The defense scheduled 37 witnesses to testify to Harrison's character.

A representative from the Russian Embassy said officials there are watching the outcome of this case carefully.

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