A 3-year-old Texas boy died over the weekend when he was left for four hours in a stifling car — and authorities say it appears to be a tragic accident, according to new reports.
The toddler, Liam Ordonez of San Antonio, was locked in the car alone from 1 p.m. until about 5 p.m. Saturday, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The family had returned home from Liam’s 6-year-old brother’s tee-ball game when it appears they got distracted, police spokesman Lt. Jesse Salame told the Dallas Morning News.
Each parent assumed the other had taken Liam out of the car, officials said.
“It had been a few hours, so by the time they discovered he had been in there, they came out and tried to perform life-saving measures,” Salame told the outlet.
It was too late — Liam was pronounced dead on scene.
Salame told the paper it all “appears to be a terrible tragedy.”
Although there does not appear to be foul play involved, homicide detectives are investigating, according to KSAT.
“This very literally can happen to anybody, and that’s the most tragic thing of all,” Salame said, according to the Express. “There’s not anyone who has been a parent to a toddler that hasn’t almost made this mistake.”
Temperatures soared to about 93 degrees in the area Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Liam was the sixth child to die in a hot car in Texas so far this year, and the 43rd nationwide, according to the database Kids and Cars.