SAN ANTONIO — A Texas mother made a “tragic” mistake during her morning routine, then her son was found dead in the back of her car hours later, according to police.
The 5-year-old boy was discovered dead in the afternoon on Wednesday, July 9, outside Pinnacle Kids Academy, San Antonio police told KSAT.
His mother regularly drops him off at the preschool before going to work, according to police, and she thought she had done so, the station reported. But while she was at work, her son was inside her car, in the heat for hours, police said.
The temperature reached a high of 93 in the San Antonio area on July 9, National Weather Service data shows.
The woman got off work and went to the school to pick up her son, but when she arrived staff informed her that he wasn’t dropped off, Chief William McManus said in a news briefing streamed by WOAI.
Then the boy was found sitting in a car seat in the back of the woman’s vehicle, McManus said. He was pronounced dead.
An investigation is underway to determine whether the death was accidental, or if criminal charges will be brought, he said.
McManus said it’s an “extremely tragic situation,” and a reminder to parents to always look in the backseat before getting out of a vehicle.
By MITCHELL WILLETTS/The State
Mitchell Willetts is a real-time news reporter covering the central U.S. for McClatchy. He is a University of Oklahoma graduate and outdoors enthusiast living in Texas.
