5-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Being Left in a Hot Car Outside a Texas Elementary School
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A five-year-old boy has died after he was found in a hot car parked outside an elementary school in Mission, Texas, on Thursday.
"Yesterday at 4:04 pm, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call of an unresponsive five-year-old boy found inside a vehicle parked at Dr. [Americo] Paredes Elementary," La Joya Independent School District Police Chief Raul Gonzalez said at a news conference on Friday.
Chief Gonzalez revealed the boy was taken to the nurse's office for immediate medical care after he was discovered. "They attempted CPR procedures," he said. "Local [medical] personnel also arrived to assist, but their efforts to resuscitate the child were unsuccessful."
On Thursday, temperatures soared to 101 degrees in Hidalgo County, ABC News reported.
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The chief of police also revealed that the child is related to one of the "staff members at the campus," and that the vehicle the boy was found in belongs to that same individual.
"The La Joya ISD Police Department, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office and Child Protective Services are working together to conduct this investigation," Chief Gonzalez added. He noted that the incident remained under investigation.
The La Joya ISD Police Department and the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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La Joya Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Gisela Saenz also spoke at the press conference, where she revealed that the boy, whose identity has not been released, was a student in the district.
Dr. Saenz described the occurrence as "isolated" and a "tragic incident," before she offered additional counseling services to students at staff at the school.
"I ask the community to keep the family, our students and our staff at Americo Paredes Elementary in their thoughts and their prayers as they navigate through this tragic event," she said.
"I want to assure parents and our community that our schools are safe," Dr. Saenz continued. "This was an isolated incident."
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The young boy marks the 19th child to die in a hot car in the U.S. this year, according to data from Kids and Car Safety. This recent incident marks the 4th case in Texas alone.
"We are committed to the push for occupant detection technology in all cars immediately," said Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety, to KENS 5. "As we continue our advocacy, children continue to die week after week. It is beyond heartbreaking."
