Teen asleep in car with mom dies of possible carbon monoxide exposure, TX cops say

A 15-year-old girl died after being found unresponsive in her mother’s car, Texas authorities say.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the girl’s mother arrived home from work at about 3 a.m. Aug. 8, and the teen met her mom outside, according to a news briefing streamed by KRIV.

They stayed outside to talk and they fell asleep in the car while it was running, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

He said it was normal for them to sleep in the car because they were recently homeless and the car is familiar to them.

When the mother later got up to wake up her other daughter inside the home, she came back outside and found her 15-year-old unresponsive, investigators said.

Deputies said the mom began driving to a hospital and first responders met her on the way. The girl died in the hospital, according to the sheriff.

Because the car was left running while the mom and daughter were sleeping, carbon monoxide exposure is believed to be a contributing factor in the teen’s death, Gonzalez said.

The identity of the teen has not been publicly released as of Aug. 11.