A 40-year-old woman, Juanita Pinon, is in custody after a 5-year-old child left unattended in a vehicle died on Wednesday, according to Omaha police.
Pinon, identified as the victim’s foster mother, has been arrested for child abuse by neglect resulting in death. Officers responded to the incident at 93rd and Binney streets shortly after 5 p.m.
A witness told KETV that both he and Pinon rushed out of a beauty salon to an SUV and found the child inside. Despite performing CPR, the child, identified as Dionicio Perez, did not survive after being taken to the hospital.
Omaha police reported that Perez had been in the car for seven hours. The heat index at 5 p.m. was 88 degrees, which would cause the vehicle’s interior temperature to reach 100 degrees within 10 minutes, according to KETV meteorologists.
Pinon has not yet provided a statement to clarify whether she left Perez in the car “accidentally or intentionally,” according to Omaha police. Investigators are also uncertain why Perez was unable to get out of the car himself.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that Perez was in foster care and stated it is cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation. Employees at the beauty salon noted that Pinon was not getting her hair or nails done but was in her business office attached to the back of the salon.
Omaha police spent hours at the scene on Wednesday night, investigating and questioning witnesses inside the salon. Nationally, the National Safety Council reports that an average of 37 children die each year from heatstroke after being left in vehicles.
The council notes that in more than half of these cases, the child was forgotten. As the investigation continues, the tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles, particularly during hot weather.