A 5-year-old Texas boy died on Monday after he was left in a car for several hours in temperatures that reached 99 degrees.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that the boy was pronounced dead on the scene.
Gonzalez said that investigators arrived at the cul-de-sac in Harris County just before 3:30 p..m
Pct 3 units were dispatched to the 13700 blk of Blair Hill Ln. Upon arrival units determined a child (possibly 5 yrs) was left inside a vehicle for several hours. The child was pronounced deceased at the scene. HCSO Investigators are enroute to the scene. #HouNews pic.twitter.com/MNbhPHIHSU
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 20, 2022
A mother took her two children — an 8-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy — to a store to buy supplies for the girl’s birthday party, KTRK reported. When they arrived back at the home, the mom and daughter got out of the vehicle, but the boy remained in a back seat, strapped in.
Several hours later, the sheriff said, the mother realized the boy wasn’t present and called for him.
Gonzalez said the mother likely assumed the boy knew how to unbuckle himself from the vehicle and get out, but, he said, the vehicle was a rental and the boy may have been unfamiliar with the door safety lock.
The sheriff’s office has not determined if the mother will face charges.
According to the organization KidsandCars, the boy’s death was the sixth to take place this year because of a child being left in car in excessive heat. It was the third so far this year in the greater Houston area.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Shutterstock]
