Justin Harris, the Atlanta father accused of murdering his 22-month-old son Cooper by leaving him in his hot SUV for seven hours, has told police that he had done "child car deaths" to find out "what temperature" it needed to be for a child to succumb to hyperthermia. 

According to warrants released Saturday, Harris told police that he was "fearful this could happen." 

Cooper was found dead in his carseat by Harris shortly after the father left work at Home Depot's corporate offices on June 19, having succumbed to the heat during the seven hours in which he was left to bake in the hot SUC.

The father, who was slated to drop the toddler off before his 9 a.m. shift, claimed to have forgotten to take Cooper into the daycare center located within the corporate office.

According to witnesses, Harris showed all signs of being a grieving father. Harris "hopped out of the driver's seat, opened the back door and laid [the child] on the concrete and tried to resuscitate him," one witness told WXIA in Atlanta. 

Other witnesses recall Harris' cries, the father yelling "What have I done?" repeatedly as bystanders attempted to resuscitate little Cooper.

But as the investigation into Cooper's death progressed, a number of inconsistencies about Harris' story came to light.

The father was seen on security cameras entering the car during his lunch hour through the front passenger door, apparently without taking notice of Cooper's body at that time.

Harris had, according to warrants, also taken Cooper to breakfast at Chic-fil-a near his office, arriving at the corporate offices, the location of Cooper's daycare, only minutes after. 

Other more harrowing details have also emerged. Harris allegedly researched topics such as "how long it takes for animals to die in a hot car," and Saturday's warrants spell out even more suspicious Internet research as well.  

Harris' disclosure to police is yet another strange twist in what was originally expected to be a routine tragedy of a loving parent's temporary forgetfulness. 

A number of support groups emerged in the days after Harris' arrest; an online petition for Harris' release and fundraiser to collect donations toward his defense have now been closed down in light of the new details that are emerging.

Harris has pleaded not guilty to felony murder and a second-degree charge of child cruelty. He will not be allowed to attend Cooper's funeral and remains incarcerated.