BAKER COUNTY, Florida. – THE trial for babysitter accused of leaving 10-month-old in hot car in Baker County two years ago continued Thursday morning.

On the second day, Rhonda Jewell, 46, who was Ariya’s babysitter, stood up for her.

Jewell is accused of leaving Aryia Paige unattended in an SUV for five hours on a summer day when the temperature reached more than 100 degrees.

Jewell admitted she forgot Ariya was still in the SUV after the baby’s mother, Brooke Paige, came to pick her up.

“That’s when I realized I didn’t take that baby out of the car,” Jewell said through tears, “I forgot the baby in the car…and I I ran to the car and opened the door and she was still there Ariya was still in the back seat.

Jewell told the court she began caring for children as a babysitter when she was 17, but took a break after having children.

She said she only started babysitting again in 2017.

She admitted that she took care of the children she looked after as if they were her own.

When asked about her relationship with Ariya, she said, “I loved her like she was my own.”

She also opened up about her relationship with Ariya’s mother and considered Brooke’s mother, Monique Carter, to be her best friend.

“I was there for baby showers, weddings. I’m attracted to her, like any baby,” Jewell said.

A detective who arrived at the hospital where Ariya was taken spoke about the child’s condition.

He said she was kept in an air-conditioned environment but despite efforts to cool her body, Ariya’s internal and external temperatures were over 100 degrees.

He said that when he interviewed Jewell, she told him she forgot to take Ariya out of the SUV because she was distracted by thoughts about a family event.

A medical examiner said the child died of hyperthermia, and a firefighter who testified said the temperature in the SUV was 133 degrees.

Jewell faces charges of negligent homicide and child neglect.