No arrest or charges after 9-year-old girl dies in hot vehicle, Harris County Sheriff's Office says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The Harris County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that the mother accused of leaving her 9-year-old daughter in a hot car Tuesday is no longer detained or arrested on any charges as they await autopsy results.

"We've documented 166 children that have died in Texas since 1990 in hot cars -- 33 of those happened in Harris County, and sadly, Texas leads the nation when it comes to these tragedies by a pretty large margin," Amber Rollins, director for Kids and Car Safety, said.

The sheriff's office said the 36-year-old mother left her daughter alone in her hot vehicle with water and the windows partially rolled down for around eight hours in Galena Park.

SEE PREVIOUS REPORT: Mom detained after 9-year-old girl dies from being left in hot car in Galena Park workplace

Sheriff Gonzalez said a mother was detained after allegedly leaving her 9-year-old daughter in a hot vehicle with some water and windows partially down while she was at work.

On Wednesday morning, that car was finally towed away, but there are still questions as to what the next steps are in the criminal process.

"When you have somebody who died in a hot car -- or we think died in a hot car -- it does make sense now that really the emergency has passed, and so it's a good idea to kind of take a minute, make sure all the facts are in before charging her," criminal defense attorney Joe Vinas said.

Vinas said that when people die under mysterious causes, it's typical for law enforcement to await an autopsy.

"I guess it's possible that something else caused this child's death and that it wasn't an overheating situation in the vehicle, so if the sheriff's office wants to take a minute and let the medical examiner's do a thorough investigation and determine the cause of death, I don't see any issue with that," Vinas said.

Vinas said that once that happens, the mom could face felony charges.

According to Kids and Car Safety, about 21 states have laws against leaving a child in a car unattended, including the Lone Star State.

"There is a law that makes it illegal to leave a child alone in a vehicle in the state of Texas. And there's also a law that protects citizens from liability if they were to break into a vehicle to rescue a child that's in distress or unconscious," Rollins said.

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