Texas mother arrested after two children die in hot car; authorities cite inconsistencies in account
Sheriff says investigators found inconsistencies in the mother's account as the case remains under review and the medical examiner awaits the cause of death
A Texas mother was arrested after her two children died in a hot car, authorities said, but investigators reported inconsistencies in her account.
Tiona Islar, 28, is connected to the deaths of six-year-old Sevani Stevenson and three-year-old Miyani Islar in the San Antonio area. Police say Islar told investigators she last saw her children alive in her home around 10 a.m. Saturday, then found them in her car around 3 p.m. after she says she fell asleep. She told investigators the siblings may have left the home and entered the vehicle while she slept, and she called authorities around 3:25 p.m. A deputy arrived and tried to perform CPR on both children at the scene, but they were pronounced dead.
There are "inconsistencies with the story we're being given," Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said, adding he is not confident enough to say exactly what happened. Islar, who faces felony charges of injury to a child, has been described as mostly cooperative as investigators pursue additional details. The sheriff noted the family had prior encounters with the sheriff's office and Child Protective Services. A sheriff's spokesman said the investigation is 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 investigators. He also urged the public to act quickly if a child is found unattended in a locked car, advising to break a window if necessary to rescue the child.
Hot-car deaths have been a persistent safety concern in the United States. Data from Kids and Car Safety show that at least 1,159 children have died in hot cars since 1990, including 28 this year. The organization notes that an average of about 37 children under 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in vehicles. The National Safety Council's Injury Facts report indicates Texas has the highest total number of hot-car deaths in the country, with 155 since records began. These figures underline the ongoing risk and the public safety messaging issued by law enforcement and child-welfare agencies during hot-weather periods.