9-year-old dies after being left in scorching car while mom works 8-hour shift in Texas
The incident took place in Galena Park, a suburb of Houston, where the 36-year-old mother, an employee at a local manufacturing plant — left her daughter in the backseat of a Toyota Camry with a bottle of water and the windows partially rolled down. According to police, she then 'proceeded to go to work for the day,' despite outdoor temperatures climbing to 36°C (97°F).
'I don't know if anyone checked on the child throughout the day,' Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said during a press briefing, according to ABC News. 'There's never an excuse to leave a child unattended.'
Authorities said the mother returned to the car around 2 pm, after her shift ended, and discovered the girl unresponsive. She contacted law enforcement, and the child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
While the mother was detained for questioning on Tuesday, she was released the following day pending the results of an autopsy. Officials said the investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been filed yet.
The motive behind the mother's decision remains unclear. 'A 9-year-old beautiful little girl has lost her life by no fault of her own,' Sheriff Gonzalez said. He added that the death was particularly tragic because it 'could have been prevented.'
The sheriff acknowledged the pressures parents face but said those struggles don't justify putting a child at risk. 'Maybe she has to make ends meet and keep food on the table and work. But the risk of death or harm, there's just no reconciling that in my mind,' he said. 'You got to make other arrangements. It's not worth it.'
Gonzalez said most hot car deaths are accidental, making this case unusual. 'Nothing at this point shows that the mother thought this would be the outcome,' he added.
According to The New York Post, it is illegal to leave a child unattended in a car in Texas, one of 21 US states with such laws. Tuesday's death marks the third hot car fatality in Texas in just four days and at least the 13th nationwide in 2025, per ABC News.
The mother's employer, United States Gypsum, issued a brief statement acknowledging the incident. 'A medical emergency occurred involving the child of an employee,' a company spokesperson said. 'Our thoughts are with the family of the child and all those impacted.'
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