Mother arrested after leaving infant and 5-year-old in hot car, Roswell police say
A mother was arrested and jailed after leaving her 5-year-old and 3-month-old children in a hot car while shopping at a Roswell, Georgia Dollar Tree, according to police.
Eneilu Espinoza, 27, was charged with first-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct after someone reported seeing two children alone in a locked hot car in the Holcomb Bridge Road parking lot.
After receiving a 911 call, officers responded to the scene on Holcomb Bridge Road around 1 p.m. Officers discovered the car unlocked, the engine turned off, and the windows rolled up. It was 93 degrees outside at the time. On Tuesday, the Heat Index in metro Atlanta reached 100.
Officers discovered the mother inside the store after asking managers to make an announcement over the pa system. She claimed she had only been in the store for a few minutes.
The children were “showing early signs of heat-related illness,” according to police. The three-month-old was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. The 5-year-old was taken to the Roswell Police Department before being released to the child’s father, who was not present at the time.
“The Roswell Police Department would like to remind the public that in the current climate, minutes can be deadly,” Roswell police wrote in a statement.
“Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can set in very quickly in these temperatures in an outside environment, let alone inside of a sealed car. If you cannot bring your children inside your destination, leave them at home in the care of a responsible guardian.”
Espinoza was arrested and booked into the Fulton County Jail.
