A woman has been reported for making a stop at McDonald’s while transporting her critically ill son to the hospital. Vanessa Esquivel, aged 27, is accused of knowingly leaving her 15-month-old child unattended in a sweltering car for two hours while she was at work.
On August 16, starting her work shift at 2 pm, she left the infant in the vehicle outside her workplace in Dallas until approximately 5:30 pm before heading to Medical City Plano Hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, she informed medical staff that her child had fallen sick but was informed that the child had tragically passed away. Subsequently, four days later, she was apprehended by Frisco Police and charged with murder.
According to the arrest affidavit, it was revealed that the mother had made a stop at McDonald’s while her son was in critical condition in the car. Currently held at Collin County Jail on a $250,000 bond, she faces a first-degree murder charge, which may lead to a life sentence upon conviction.
An official statement from Frisco Police mentioned that detectives discovered Esquivel had intentionally left her child unattended in a non-air-conditioned vehicle for over two hours despite the outside temperature exceeding 95 degrees. This act was considered endangering the child’s life, resulting in the tragic outcome.
Health authorities in the US and the UK have consistently warned of the dangers of leaving children unattended in hot cars, emphasizing the rapid increase in interior temperatures even on mild or cloudy days. This poses a severe risk to children as their bodies heat up faster than adults, potentially leading to heatstroke, organ damage, or fatality.
Tragically, each year in the US, around 38 to 40 children lose their lives due to heatstroke after being left in overheated vehicles.