2-month-old was left to die in hot car, Texas cops say. Now mom is charged with murder
A Texas woman is charged with murder in the death of her 2-month-old baby boy.
On Aug. 8, 2023, officers responded to the parking lot of the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD Services, according to a news release.
Police said a 2-month-old was found unresponsive in a car after his 22-year-old mother left him in the vehicle on a 95-degree day, according to a criminal complaint.
The baby was treated at the scene and then taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
McClatchy News reached out to the woman’s attorney for comment but did not immediately hear back.
During an interview with investigators, the woman changed her story multiple times, documents say . She told authorities that she went into the center to meet with a counselor, but gave conflicting times as to when she arrived and how long she was inside, according to the complaint.
She told investigators that she had her two children with her, and she took her 3-year-old inside but wasn’t aware of where the baby was, the complaint said. The woman then said she left the car running and the air conditioner turned up for the three hours she was inside.
When she got back to the car, her other child climbed in the back seat and said, “the baby,” according to the complaint. She told police the baby wasn’t breathing and was foaming at the mouth.
Officials said the woman was inconsistent with her answers and told investigators she left the baby in the car by accident, but then said she thought she left him at home with a relative. When they told her the baby was dead, she said she left her car off and the air conditioner was not on when she came back to the car, according to the complaint.
Surveillance video showed the woman walking into the building at 12:12 p.m. and returning to her car around 2:55 p.m., the complaint said. After getting in her car, she was seen on video getting out and opening the rear passenger door. She then fell to her knees holding the baby before taking him inside, the complaint said.
An autopsy found the baby’s cause of death to be hyperthermia and manner of death to be homicide.
Nearly a year later, the woman was charged with murder. She was given a $50,000 bond, court records show.
