Boy, five, dies in hot car after being left for up to three hours by mum preparing party

A formal investigation has been launched

A five-year-old boy has died in a hot car after his mum allegedly left him inside it for three hours while she made some last-minute party preparations. After rushing out to get party supplies for her eight-year-old daughter, an anonymous mother in Harris County, northeast Houston, Texas, is believed to have left her other kid, five, in the car for "several hours". According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the mother had thought that her five-year-old was in the house. Officers were called to the scene on Blair Hill Lane, Texas, and a formal investigation was launched as a result. "Pct 3 units were dispatched to the 13700 blk of Blair Hill Ln. Upon arrival units determined a child (possibly 5 yrs) was left inside a vehicle for several hours. The child was pronounced deceased at the scene. HCSO Investigators are enroute to the scene," Sheriff Gonzalez tweeted. https://twitter.com/SheriffEd_HCSO/status/1538979925520273412 At a press conference, he added: "Mum went inside, the other sibling was inside as well, after a couple of hours, maybe two or three hours, mum noticed that the other child was nowhere to be found, began calling to him no answer, she frantically ran outside and found the boy still buckled in." The mother assumed her child had gone inside as he knew how to unbuckle himself. However, a Porsche was on loan at the time, which led Gonzalez to speculate that the boy was unable to figure out the lock. "Look before you lock, always check that backseat, do your roll call, make sure everyone is accounted for when you get in the house," said Amber Rollins, Director of Kids and Car Safety, told local news. "If you take your kids to daycare ask them to call you immediately if your child doesn't show up as scheduled." It's not yet known whether the mother will face criminal charges. Related links:

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