Texas mother arrested after telling police her children died in a hot car; investigators cite inconsistencies
Sheriff says there are inconsistencies in the account of Tiona Islar, mother of six-year-old Sevani Stevenson and three-year-old Miyani Islar, as the case unfolds in the San Antonio area
A Texas mother has been arrested after telling police her two children died in a hot car, but authorities say there are inconsistencies in her account. Tiona Islar, 28, is the mother of six-year-old Sevani Stevenson and three-year-old Miyani Islar. The incident occurred in the San Antonio area, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
Islar told investigators she last saw her children alive at about 10 a.m. Saturday at their home, then found them in her car around 3 p.m. after waking from a nap. She said the siblings must have gone outside and into the car while she slept.
A deputy arrived around 3:25 p.m. and attempted CPR on both children; they were pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff said.
"There are inconsistencies with the story we're being given," Salazar said. "I'm not confident enough to say that's definitively what happened." Islar was arrested on felony charges of injury to a child. He added that she has been "mostly" cooperative and that conversations with her could shed more light on the events.
The sheriff noted the family has previously interacted with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office and Child Protective Services as part of prior concerns. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are awaiting the medical examiner's determination of the cause of death.
The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information, including video from the area, to contact them. He also urged residents to act quickly if a child is locked in a hot car: try to open the doors, and if they are locked, break a window to rescue the child.
Context and statistics on hot-car deaths: Since 1990, at least 1,159 children have died in hot cars in the United States, according to Kids and Car Safety, with at least 28 deaths this year. On average, 37 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle. Nearly every state has experienced at least one hot-car death since 1998, and Texas has the highest total in the country, about 155, according to NSC Injury Facts.