A 5-year-old Houston-area boy died Monday after being left inside a vehicle for two to three hours in near 100-degree temperatures.
Units with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 13700 block of Blair Hill Lane and found the boy unresponsive.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the mother and her 8-year-old daughter went inside the home but it was hours later when the mother noticed the child wasn’t inside.
“She’d frantically ran outside and discovered the 5-year-old still buckled in his car seat,” Gonzalez told reporters. The family was preparing to celebrate their daughter’s birthday at the time of his death.
The mother told investigators the child knew how to unbuckle himself and get out of the car.
It’s unclear whether the mother will face charges. In 2021, 23 children died from hot car deaths, according to the National Safety Council. In 2018 and 2019, a record 53 children died after being left in a hot vehicle, the group said.
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