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Abuse charges for parents in Guam hot car death
HAGATNA, Guam (AP)—Parents of a 3-month-old boy who died after sitting for hours in a hot car outside their Guam home have been charged with child abuse.
The Pacific Daily News reports the couple were arrested on allegations of negligent homicide. But prosecutors charged them Tuesday with child abuse and leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle. Both charges are third-degree felonies.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office says the charges must still be brought to a grand jury and could be changed.
According to court documents, Shawn Travis Llagas Cruz, 28, and Victoria Quidachay Siaotong, 24, returned to their Yigo home midday Saturday after running errands with their four children. Both assumed someone else had taken the infant out of the car.
About 2:30pm, they realized the child wasn’t in the house and found him in the car.
Court documents said the baby had suffered burns and was foaming at the mouth and whimpering when found. He was breathing and had a pulse.
“Shawn concluded the infant was going to be OK so he did not call 911 nor did they take the infant to the hospital,” court documents said.
Fifteen minutes later, the baby stopped breathing, prosecutors said. The father called emergency services, which arrived on the scene at about 3:17pm.
The boy was pronounced dead less than half an hour later.
Judge Alberto Tolentino ordered that the parents stay away from their other children, who are in the custody of Child Protective Services.
Prosecutors must obtain an indictment within 20 days of the hearing before the couple can be arraigned and enter pleas.
