MIDLAND, Texas — A West Texas man has been charged with capital murder after authorities said his 2-year-old daughter was found unresponsive inside a locked vehicle and later died after he had allegedly been sleeping after a night of drinking.
According to Midland County online booking records, Lorenzo Elias Rodriguez, 25, of Midland, was arrested on Sunday.
Officers with the Midland Police Department responded to a residence at 7:56 p.m. CT on Sunday, KOSA reported. Family members told police they went to the home to check on Rodriguez and his daughter after he allegedly drank alcohol on Saturday night, according to the television station.
Police said that “after repeatedly knocking on the front door” and receiving no response, the family members went to the side of the residence, removed a window air-conditioning unit and discovered Rodriguez asleep, KDFW reported.
Rodriguez had apparently been asleep since 11 a.m. CT, and family members did not locate the child inside the residence, according to the television station.
The girl was found inside a Kia vehicle parked outside the residence, KOSA reported. A window was broken and the child was taken to an area hospital, where she later died, according to the television station.
According to the Kids and Car Safety website, it was the 15th hot car death this year.
The high temperature in Midland on Sunday was 99 degrees, KFDW reported. According to the National Weather Service, when it is 99 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car can climb between 130 to 150 degrees in less than an hour.
Rodriguez remains in the Midland County Jail; his bail was set for $1.5 million, online records show.
An investigation is ongoing, police said.
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