3-month-old Houston boy dies after being left in hot car

HOUSTON — A 3-month-old boy died Tuesday after he was left in a parked vehicle outside a Houston mental health clinic, authorities said.

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According to the Houston Police Department, emergency responders were called to the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, at about 3:55 p.m. EDT, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Yasar Bashir said that members of the Houston Fire Department performed CPR on the child, but the boy died at a local hospital, according to the newspaper.

The boy’s mother is being questioned by investigators, but so far, no charges have been filed, KPRC-TV reported.

The woman arrived at the clinic for a visit, according to the television station. Police said she took her 4-year-old son inside the building, but the younger child was left in the vehicle.

The woman called police when she returned to the vehicle and found the baby unresponsive, KTRK-TV reported.

According to Kids and Car Safety, the boy’s death was the 16th nationwide this year and the third in Texas. The nonprofit continues to advocate for occupant detection devices in vehicles.

“We are committed to the push for occupant detection technology in all cars immediately. As we continue our advocacy, children continue to die week after week. It is beyond heartbreaking,” Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety, said in a statement. “Automakers do not have to wait for the final regulation to be issued requiring technology; they can add occupant detection technology to their vehicles today.”

Police said they were still trying to determine how long the child was in the car, the Chronicle reported. Medical examiners will determine the baby’s cause of death.

“We have a lot of work to do here,” Bashir told reporters.

The temperature in Houston on Tuesday reached 101 degrees, according to the Chronicle.

“Houston gets very hot, and under no circumstances should you leave a child in the car,” Bashir told reporters. “Not even for a moment.”