Mother facing child abuse charge after allegedly leaving her 4-year-old in hot car

SALT LAKE CITY — A 34-year-old mother is facing a charge of child abuse after police said she left her four-year-old in a hot car in the parking lot of the Heber Driver’s License Office.

In a probable cause statement, Heber City police were called to perform a welfare check after a witness reported seeing a small child in a small silver passenger car.

Hot air coming from hot car

Police said that when they arrived, they found the car and the child. After opening the unlocked door, they reported hot air coming out of the vehicle.

At that point, police said the child was crying because of the heat. Police said the child had taken off his shirt, that his hair was “drenched in sweat,” and that he looked sluggish.

Based on the child’s appearance, police called for medical assistance. First responders later told police that the child’s vital signs were okay, but that he had “abnormally high blood pressure.”

Police said they found information inside the car revealing the mother’s name. With that information, they learned the mother was inside the Driver’s License Office taking her driver’s license exam.

Eliana M. Suaza Argote, age 34, reportedly told police she hadn’t been gone very long. Police told her they had proof the child was in the car for nearly 70 minutes.

What to know about kids and a hot car

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cites heatstroke, from children being left in a hot car, as one of the leading causes of non-crash vehicle-related fatalities among American children. 

Here’s what they want parents to know:

• It’s never okay to leave a child alone in a car.
• Even in cooler temperatures, your car can quickly heat up to a dangerous temperature.
• The inside temperature of a car can rise 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the first 10 minutes.

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