A father who left his young son in the back seat of a car leading to his death has been forgiven by his wife after years of torturing himself over the tragedy.
Lindsey and Kyle Seitz were met with tragedy in 2014 when their ideal family life was turned upside down following the death of their 15-month-old son Benjamin.
As reported by the Daily Mail, on July 7, 2014, Kyle was driving to his job at the time as a software engineer but forgot to drop Benjamin off at daycare.
The toddler was in his car seat in the back of the vehicle, with the seat facing backward so Kyle didn't see his son and notice his mistake.
The father then went into his office and worked an eight-hour day during the summer, and it wasn't until later when he returned to the car that the horror of the situation presented itself.
Benjamin was rushed to the hospital but it was unfortunately too late, and he was deemed to have passed away from hyperthermia.
Kyle was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and his wife Lindsey quit her job as a lawyer to focus on raising their other two children.
Following the tragedy, the family was forced to leave their home in Connecticut and move to Colorado after they were chased by the media and child protective services.
Speaking to the Mail, the couple has opened up about how they have navigated through their grief, as well as learning to forgive what had happened.
Kyle explained that he replayed the events of July 7 over in his head for the years that followed but has learned how to forgive himself for what happened.
Lindey has also learned how to forgive her husband, saying: "I am profoundly in love with my husband. It’s probably stronger than it used to be… after all the grief and trauma we are probably more solid now but I’d describe it as quieter. Calmer. More relaxed."
Despite being pressured by the attention around her, including child protective services, Lindsey revealed that she never considered leaving her husband.
Following the traumatic incident, Lindsey was also concerned about her husband's well-being, describing him as "catatonic" and revealing that she worried that he may try to take his own life.
"When they told me in the hospital room what had happened, my mind immediately switched from Ben’s gone to is Kyle gone too? I knew how close they were. I was worried about what had become of him after he found out that Ben had passed," Lindsey said.
She added: "I really blamed him a good bit but I’ve learned how to love him through that imperfection. All of the struggles, difficulties – everything. We can love each other."
Ben revealed that he took a little longer to forgive himself: "The self-forgiveness part is tough. It is a process, it takes a lot of time. For years I had thoughts of 'could I ever forgive myself'," he said.
Ben continued: "I think someone said to me one time if you believe in a loving and forgiving God and if God forgives you I said yes. If you believe God can forgive you, why can't you forgive yourself?
"It doesn’t mean there’s not pain every day. There is a hole there. There is a process. It is not easy at all."
Lindsey has recently released a new memoir titled The Gift of Ben.
