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Mother Arrested For Leaving Baby In Hot SUV
Posted: Aug 22, 2012 10:18 PM by Melissa Schroeder - mschroeder@kristv.com
Updated: Aug 24, 2012 8:15 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Police just arrested the mother of a 15-month-old baby who died in the back seat of a hot SUV this afternoon.
Concepcion Rodriguez is charged with injury to a child after officers say she left the baby in the SUV for nearly three hours.
Paramedics surrounded the 15 month old boy as they rushed him to the hospital,
but he didn't survive.
Neighbors say his name was Benny, Junior.
We talked to a friend of the family who says the baby was always smiling.
Cornelio Reyna, a family friend, said, "He was a very happy little kid. He was always around with mommy and daddy and they always played around with him and stuff."
Police say the 26-year-old mother went to the store and got home to the 3700 Block of Grassmere around 1:00 this afternoon.
Officers tell us seven kids -- all under the age of eight -- rode in the SUV.
Six got out, but the baby stayed in his car seat.
Detectives say when the father got home just before 4 o'clock, he asked about the child.
That's when the parents realized he was still in the SUV.
Temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees outside, so inside the SUV, it was much, much hotter.
Reyna said, "I don't know how something like this could've happened, I really don't know."
Neighbors say they would see Baby Benny playing outside with his siblings
and tell us the family always seemed happy, so it's hard for them to hear about this devastating news.
Robert Mendoza said, "Oh my God, oh my God it hurts my heart. You know I got little ones too. I got grandkids and I feel very sorry for them, very sorry for them."
Neighbor Melinda Moore said, "It's terrible. I just can't imagine that we're hearing this all the time and to have it just three houses down the street, I don't understand how it happens."
Police say not all the children in the SUV belong to the mother of the 15 month old boy, but the couple does have other kids.
Child Protective Services is investigating to decide where those children should stay.
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