9-month-old baby dies in Texas after grandmother leaves him in hot car
A nine-month-old baby in Texas died after his grandmother left him in a car seat for eight hours – a day after a 22-month-old baby died in an overheated car in another part of the state.
The baby was found unconscious in Beeville around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, local police said on Facebook.
According to Beeville police, the grandmother apparently left the child strapped into a car seat in the back seat of her car around 8:30 a.m.
According to AccuWeather, temperatures in the city reached as high as 40 degrees Celsius that day.
No formal charges have been filed yet, but they are expected later, the police department added. The incident is being investigated as criminal homicide and the state Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers are involved in the investigation, Beeville police said.
The toddler’s tragic death came just one day after another fatal overheating car crash in the Lone Star State.
According to CBS Texas, a 22-month-old child died in Corpus Christi after the mother forgot to drop the child off at daycare on Tuesday.
Hilda Ann Adame, 33, reportedly left little Harley Adame in her parked car from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. High temperatures in Corpus Christi reached 102 degrees that day, according to AccuWeather.
According to Corpus Christi police, the mother was arrested on charges including assault and child abandonment.
The agency posted a warning on its Facebook page Thursday afternoon urging caution, accompanied by a graphic illustrating how quickly temperatures can become deadly.
“It’s another hot day in Corpus Christi,” the post said. “Make sure you stay hydrated. High temperatures can quickly become deadly.”
The police departments of Beeville and Corpus Christi were unable to comment beyond their official statements.
According to Kids and Car Safety, there have been at least 25 other cases of children dying in overheated cars this year alone.
According to the organization, Texas had the most child deaths from overheated cars between 1990 and 2023, with a total of 156 deaths, followed by Florida with 118.
