A 5-year-old boy died after his mother left him inside a car outside the family’s home in Houston while she prepared for her daughter’s birthday party on Monday, a law enforcement official told CNN affiliate KTRK.
The mother was in a rush when she got home with her son and 8-year-old daughter, and the young boy was left in the car when she and her daughter went inside the house, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told KTRK.
It wasn’t until two or three hours later that the mother realized her son was still buckled into his car seat, Gonzalez said.
“This time the child didn’t make it out and again with the business of the activities that they were preparing for, it took a while for them to notice that the child wasn’t in the house,” Gonzalez told KTRK.
First responders pronounced the child dead at the scene, the sheriff said. It is unclear if the mother will face charges, KTRK reported.
Temperatures in Houston reached a record high on Monday, as the Houston Hobby Airport reported a high of 101 degrees, according to CNN Weather.