Mom arrested after 2 toddlers found in hot car outside Walmart

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) - Police arrested a mother after they say she left her two 2-year-old daughters in the back seat of a hot car while she was grocery shopping at Walmart.

The incident occurred Sunday at a Walmart Supercenter in Oklahoma City. At 2:22 p.m., the mom walked into the store alone. Forty minutes later, she walked out to find her car surrounded by police officers.

Police say a stranger saw two 2-year-old girls unconscious in the back seat of the mom’s car and took action. The girls were in their car seats, with temperatures outside hitting nearly 100 degrees.

“Actually, forced their way into the sunroof, unlocked the doors, got the kids out of the car. They were lethargic at the time,” said Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Gary Knight.

A Walmart security officer put the kids into her air-conditioned car.

Police say the store made numerous intercom announcements, repeating the vehicle’s tag number, but no one ever came out.

“It doesn’t matter how important your errand is; those kids are the most important thing, or at least, they should be,” said CEO Joe Dorman of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.

He says if you see a child locked in a hot car, don’t hesitate.

“They are not only well within their right to go through the car, even if it damages the car; I would say it’s encouraged to make sure those kids are safe. For a parent or guardian, just to think they would leave their kids in a car on a hot day like that, it’s just astounding,” he said.

Police say the toddlers are expected to be OK. They are now with family members.

Their mother is facing two complaints of child neglect.

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