CORPUS NIGHT – A 22-month-old child died Tuesday after being left in an overheated car outside a middle school in Corpus Christi, police said.

When officers arrived at Tom Browne Middle School on Schanen Boulevard just before 1:30 p.m., the child was being resuscitated by a school nurse, according to police. The child was taken to Driscoll Children’s Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

It is initially unclear how long the child had been in the vehicle, police said.

According to Kids and Car Safety, the crash is the second death in an overheated car in Texas and the 24th nationwide in 2024. At least 157 children have died in overheated cars in Texas since 1991, making the state the “worst in the country,” according to the organization.

Corpus Christi school administrators referred questions to police and said counseling was available for students and staff.

The incident is still under investigation, police said.

In a press release, Janette Fennell, founder of Kids and Car Safety, said her organization remains committed to “immediately equipping all cars with occupant detection technology.”

“It’s beyond heartbreaking,” Fennell said. “Automakers don’t have to wait for the final regulation to be issued mandating the technology. They can equip their vehicles with occupant detection technology today. An occupant detection and warning system could have helped this sweet angel before it was too late.”