A 5-year-old boy in Texas died after being left in a hot car, with his mother “fully” believing the child was at day care, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
The mother, 22, typically drops her 5-year-old son at day care at Pinnacle Kids’ Academy in San Antonio and then goes to work, which is “right next door,” police said. But on Wednesday, she went to work at 8 a.m. — “fully” believing that the child was at day care — with the 5-year-old left in the back seat of the vehicle, officials said.
When she finished work at approximately 4:30 p.m., the mother drove to the day care to pick up her son, but staff told her she did not drop him off, police said.
“That is when she realized he left him in the vehicle,” police said in a statement.
The mother then went back to her vehicle and “noticed he was still in his car seat and unresponsive,” police said.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and “made notification that he died,” police said.
Homicide supervisors and detectives also arrived at the scene, with officials investigating whether or not the death was accidental or criminal, officials said.
As of Thursday, there have not been any arrests made and the investigation remains active, officials said.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus described the incident as an “extremely tragic situation” and told reporters the family members of the boy are “quite distraught.”
“This serves as a tragic reminder — check the backseat and don’t leave children or pets in the vehicle here in South Texas,” McManus told reporters on Wednesday.
The identities of the mother or the child have not been released by police.
According to Kids and Car Safety, an organization focused on “saving the lives of children and pets in and around vehicles,” nearly 40 children die in hot cars every year in the United States, which is approximately one every nine days.
