Fort Worth woman who forgot toddler in 127-degree car faces child endangerment charge: cops
A woman faces a charge of endangering a child after a toddler was found locked inside a car that had an internal temperature of 127 degrees, Fort Worth police said.
Officers were dispatched to the 3000 block of Briery Street on Tuesday, March 11, after a 911 caller reported a small child had been locked in a car for over an hour, according to police. The caller estimated the child was 18 months old.
When officers arrived, they found the toddler was screaming and crying, and his clothes were drenched in sweat. The windows were rolled up, and the Fort Worth Fire Department had to break the back window to get the child out. The Fire Department determined the car’s internal temperature was 127 degrees, according to police.
No adults claimed ownership of or responsibility for the car or child when the officers first arrived. A family member of the child eventually came out of a nearby apartment, according to police. She told the officers that she’d arrived at the apartment building with several children, officials said. The rest of the kids all got out of the car, but she’d forgotten this one child, she said.
The toddler was taken to a hospital for observation and treatment. His condition is unknown, according to police.
Investigators from the department’s Crimes Against Children Unit interviewed the woman and determined she had broken the law by putting the child in danger, police said.
The suspect was identified as 25-year-old Mauwa Lubembela. She is being held in the Tarrant County Jail on a $2,500 bond. According to court records, Lubembela faces a charge of intentionally or knowingly abandoning or endangering a child.
Lubembela’s defense attorney, Brett Boone, could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday, March 13.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 1,000 children in the U.S. have died in the past 25 years from heatstroke after they were trapped in hot cars. Experts recommend making it a habit to check your entire car, particularly the back seat, before walking away.
