Police say that a toddler found dead in a car in Milton, Ont., was in the care of his grandmother at the time and that temperatures in the vehicle would have been searing.

Halton Regional Police say the two-year-old boy died after spending an "extended period of time" in the vehicle on Wednesday.

Flowers were left Thursday at the home of a family whose two-year-old son died after being left inside a car for an extended time on a hot day. (Linda Ward/CBC)

The child was being looked after by his grandmother because his father was working and his mother had to go to an appointment, police said.

Police were called to a residential area in Milton, which is located about 55 kilometres west of Toronto, just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

The car, which had been parked just outside the garage of a home, was towed away late Wednesday by police.

On Thursday, police said an autopsy had confirmed the boy had been exposed to searing temperatures while inside the vehicle. But investigators said they are still awaiting toxicology test results. An official cause of death has not been released.

There was no word on any charges.

Cute brown-haired baby

The CBC's Linda Ward, reporting from the family's neighbourhood on Thursday, said community members were shocked that the tragedy could befall such a well-liked family.

Diana Cabal, who runs a parenting blog, brought her son, Samuel, to a splash pad just across the street from the grieving family's townhouse.

"I was crying when I saw the news because I have my baby," she said. "And you don't know how painful a situation can be until you have your baby."

The family's next-door neighbour, Tamena Haq, described the toddler as a cute, bright-eyed, brown-haired little boy.

"I was shocked, I can't even forget his face. I just saw him three to four days back," she said.

Halton police said the homicide squad is mandated to investigate the death of any child under the age of five.