Houston Boy, 3, Dies After Being Forgotten in Texas Day Care Van for More Than 3 Hours

A 3-year-old Houston boy died on Thursday after being left in a daycare van for more than three and a half hours in 113-degree heat, police in Texas said.

According to the Harris County Constable’s Office, 28 students from the Discovering Me Academy were taken by bus to a park in northwest Houston for a field trip Thursday, then returned to the day care sometime between 2:30 and 3 p.m. The boy’s body was discovered still in the van only after his father came to pick him up at 6:30 p.m., investigators said.

Deputies said they are interviewing the driver of the bus and a chaperone, both are said to be cooperating with questioning. Investigators said records show the 3-year-old had been listed as accounted for on a list of students compiled upon a return to the day care.

Constable Alan Rosen called the death “tragic” and implored parents and caregivers to remember to check their vehicles when transporting children, suggesting guardians place their wallets, purses or cell phones near the child to help them remember.

“Do something that always reminds you that you have a loving package in the backseat of that car,” Rosen said in a statement.

The case has been handed over to the Houston Police Department for further investigation. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether to file criminal charges.