A Houston-area home daycare operator is facing serious charges after police say she left five children unattended in a hot vehicle while she went inside a grocery store.
Dominique Wilson, 37, was arrested and charged with five felony counts of child endangerment following the August 1 incident outside a Kroger on Telephone Road. Authorities say the children, who were clients of Wilson’s daycare, were found overheated and distressed in a parked car with its engine off and only a window slightly cracked.
During Wilson’s first court appearance, the magistrate underscored the severity of the situation. “There were five children in danger, who were found red-faced and in distress, crying with the window barely cracked and the car not running,” the magistrate said. “That is a very dangerous situation.”
According to witnesses, Wilson took her two children into the store but left the five daycare children behind in the vehicle. A Kroger employee spotted the children and quickly intervened.
One witness told KHOU 11 they saw the store manager rushing toward a police officer while carrying two children, one in her arms and another in a carrier, shouting that she had just found them in a hot car without air conditioning.
Jasmine, a shopper who declined to show her face on camera, said the suspect tried to claim the children were hers and that the car’s air conditioning had been on. The manager disputed that account, insisting the AC was not running.
“The manager kept insisting it wasn’t on, the babies were sweating,” Jasmine recalled. “I’m happy because it could’ve been worse, so I’m really glad the manager took action and she took those babies out,” as reported by ABC13 Houston.
It remains unclear how long the children had been in the vehicle or whether it was locked. At the time of the incident, outdoor temperatures were nearing triple digits. Police and emergency responders arrived promptly, but officials have not confirmed whether any of the children required hospitalization.
Wilson, who operates a home-based daycare, now faces restrictions if she is released on bond. The judge ruled she will not be permitted to supervise any children under the age of 17 while her case is pending.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over child safety in extreme heat, with authorities once again urging caregivers never to leave children unattended in vehicles, even for short periods, as conditions can quickly become life-threatening.