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Twin boy, 5, bakes to death after being left in hot car for SEVEN hours outside strip mall - the tenth tragedy this year
A five-year-old boy died after allegedly being left in a hot car for seven hours by his foster parent, marking the tenth car-related tragedy this year.
The victim, who has been identified as Dionicio Perez, was found unresponsive on Wednesday after his foster mother, Juanita Pinon, 40, allegedly left him in her SUV in a parking lot outside of a beauty salon in Omaha, Nebraska.
While prosecutors claimed in Friday's hearing that Pinon went to check on the boy several times, surveillance footage showed the child was in fact left unsupervised for the entire time.
Perez's body temperature reached 105 at the time of this death, and he was reportedly trapped in the car in 89-degree heat. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Pinon, who has a previous criminal history, faces up to 20 years in prison for child abuse by neglect, resulting in death. Omaha police said she has five other children in her care.
The victim, who has been identified as Dionicio Perez, was found unresponsive on Wednesday after his foster mother, Juanita Pinon, 40, allegedly left him in her SUV in a parking lot outside of a beauty salon in Omaha, Nebraska
Juanita Pinon, 40, reportedly left her five year old foster child in her SUV in a parking lot for seven hours in 89-degree heat
The prosecution presented evidence in court that Pinon parked her car at 10:30 a.m. and then proceeded to work.
Police spokesperson, Chris Gordon, told ABC News that Pinon did not confirm whether or not this was an accident or intentional.
The foster mother was previously convicted in a theft by deception case in 2016 and in 2017.
Court documents show that Pinon, bilingual, misused $12,000 from non-English speaking renters in 2016. She received probation and was ordered to repay the funds.
Her bond was set at $2 million in court on Friday. She is expected in court on August 16.
Friends and family of Perez came together on Friday evening to hold a vigil in his memory.
Friends and family of Perez came together on Friday evening to hold a vigil in his memory
Pinon's bond was set at $2 million in court on Friday. She is expected in court on August 16
Matthew Jesop, Perez's biological uncle, is devastated by this loss, and said he thinks Pinon deserves the harshest of punishments.
'Juanita needs to be locked up for the rest of her life; she took a little kid's life without giving the opportunity to have a life, so a life for a life,' Jessop told KETV.
'So many images come to my head like how many times have you done this before? How many times have you not met the needs of the kids that are in your care,' he continued.
The bereft uncle said his sister - the boy's biological mother - and Pinon were friends previously, so she ignored the red flags.
'Even though Juanita had power of attorney, there should've been more of a vet of her background and the history of my sister's poor judgment,' Jessop said.
Perez's biological father, Pablo Lopez, along with his stepmother, Jenny, said they pursued custody, but the state assured them Perez was in good hands.
'The social worker told me they were in good hands. They said they ran a concrete business, and the kids wouldn't suffer,' Jenny and Pablo Lopez said. 'Why until that moment did they look for me, until he was dead. They could've done when he was alive, and they didn't.'
While prosecutors claim Pinon went to check on the boy several times in Friday's hearing, surveillance footage showed the child was in fact left unsupervised outside a strip mall
Perez's body temperature reached 105 at the time of this death, and was reportedly trapped in the car in 89-degree heat. He was pronounced dead at the hospital
Jenny said: "Please, I ask the system to look into the person. Investigate the person to the most thorough way possible before putting kids in the hands of people who don't want kids.'
Pablo is currently working to get custody of Perez's twin sister.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a child has died as a result of being trapped in a hot car.
At least 10 children have died from heatstroke in vehicles across the U.S. so far in 2024, according to KidsAndCars.org.
A GoFundMe has been made by the family for funds to help them obtain a lawyer and seek justice for their son and bring his sister back home.