A 9-year-old girl lost her life after her mother left her inside a vehicle during an eight-hour work shift in Texas, with temperatures climbing to nearly 100 degrees.
The 36-year-old mother contacted police about the tragic death when she returned to her Toyota Camry, where she had placed the girl in the backseat while working her shift in suburban Houston on Tuesday, according to ABC 13.
The mother had provided the girl with water and left the windows slightly open — however, she did not park the vehicle in shade, even though temperatures reached 97 degrees in Galena Park on Tuesday.
“I’m uncertain whether anyone monitored the child during the day,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a press conference, referring to the mother’s shift that ran from 6 a.m. until she discovered the girl around 2 p.m.
“A 9-year-old beautiful little girl has lost her life by no fault of her own.”
Authorities detained the mother on Tuesday but released her the following day while investigators wait for autopsy results, the sheriff’s office informed ABC 13, stating that the investigation continues before filing any charges.
The sheriff explained that it remained unclear why the mother — whose identity has not been disclosed — left her daughter in the vehicle during her shift at United States Gypsum on Tuesday, emphasizing that no justification exists for such actions.
“It’s never acceptable to leave a child in the car,” he stated, while noting about the mother: “You can be sympathetic to her situation.”
Texas prohibits leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, joining 20 other states that have enacted similar legislation.
“The point is that the risk of death or harm — there’s just no reconciling that in my mind at a personal level. You’ve got to make other arrangements, whether it be with your employer,” the sheriff said.
“It’s just not worth it to put a child at risk like this for any particular reason. If you have hardships, by all means, work with neighbors, family, and social service agencies.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that approximately 37 children lose their lives annually in the US from heatstroke after being left in hot vehicles.
United States Gypsum confirmed that “a medical emergency occurred … involving the child of an employee.”
“Our thoughts are with the family of the child and all those impacted,” USG Corp. spokesperson Kathleen Prause said.