Texas Mother Charged with Murder After Leaving Baby in Hot Car

Vanessa Esquivel intentionally left her 15-month-old child in her car, cops say

A Texas mother has been charged with murder after her 15-month-old child died after being left in a car for hours in 95-degree heat. Vanessa Esquivel, 27, was arrested following the incident on August 16 in Frisco, where police say she left the child in a vehicle without working air conditioning while she went to work.

Frisco police stated that detectives believe Esquivel “intentionally left her child for over two hours in a vehicle she knew did not have working air conditioning with an outside temperature of at least 95 degrees.” Authorities added that probable cause existed to charge her with murder due to the child’s death.

Esquivel was taken into custody in Dallas on August 20 and booked into the Collin County Jail, where she is being held on a $250,000 bond. If convicted, she faces a prison sentence of five years to life. Police have not disclosed a motive for the incident.

Temperatures reached 95 degrees on August 16