Twin boy, 5, bakes to death after being left in hot car for SEVEN hours outside strip mall – the tenth tragedy this year

A five-year-old boy has died after his foster parent left him in a hot car for seven hours, the 10th car tragedy this year.

The victim, identified as Dionicio Perez, was found unresponsive on Wednesday after his foster mother, Juanita Pinon, 40, allegedly left him in her SUV in a parking lot outside a beauty salon in Omaha, Nebraska.

While prosecutors alleged during Friday’s hearing that Pinon checked on the boy multiple times, surveillance footage showed the child was left unattended the entire time.

Perez’s body temperature reached 105 at the time of his death, and he was reportedly trapped in the car in 89-degree heat. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Pinon, who has a criminal history, faces up to 20 years in prison for child abuse by neglect resulting in death. Omaha police said she has five other children in her care.

Juanita Pinon, 40, allegedly left her five-year-old foster child in her SUV in a parking lot for seven hours in temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Public Prosecution Service presented evidence to the court showing that Pinon parked her car at 10:30 a.m. and then went to work.

Police spokesman Chris Gordon said ABC news that Pinon did not confirm whether this was an accident or intentional.

The foster mother was previously convicted of theft by deception in 2016 and 2017.

Court documents show that Pinon, who is bilingual, misused $12,000 in 2016 from tenants who did not speak English. She was placed on probation and ordered to pay back the money.

Her bond was set in court Friday at $2 million. She is due in court on August 16.

Friends and family of Perez gathered Friday night to hold a vigil in his memory.

Friends and family of Perez gathered Friday night to hold a vigil in his memory

Pinon’s bond was set at $2 million in court Friday. She is expected in court on August 16

Matthew Jesop, Perez’s biological uncle, is devastated by the loss and says he believes Pinon deserves the harshest punishment.

“Juanita needs to be locked up for the rest of her life; she took the life of a small child without giving her the chance to live a life, a life for a life,” Jessop said. KETV.

“So many images come to mind, like how many times have you done this? How many times have you failed to meet the needs of the children in your care,” he continued.

The grieving uncle said his sister, the boy’s biological mother, and Pinon had been friends before, and that was why she ignored the signals.

“Although Juanita had power of attorney, more research should have been done into her background and my sister’s history of poor judgment,” Jessop said.

Perez’s biological father, Pablo Lopez, and his stepmother, Jenny, said they wanted custody, but the state assured them Perez was in good hands.

“The social worker told me they were in good hands. They said they were running a concrete company and the kids wouldn’t suffer,” Jenny and Pablo Lopez said. “Why did they look for me until that moment, until he was dead? They could have done that when he was alive, and they didn’t.”

While prosecutors allege that Pinon checked on the boy several times during Friday’s hearing, surveillance footage showed the child was in fact left unattended outside a shopping mall

Perez’s body temperature reached 105 at the time of his death, and he was reportedly trapped in the car in 89 degree heat. He was pronounced dead at the hospital

Jenny said, “Please, I’m asking the system to investigate the person. Investigate the person as thoroughly as possible before you put children in the hands of people who don’t want children.”

Pablo is currently trying to gain custody of Perez’s twin sister.

Sadly, this is not the first time a child has died from being trapped in a hot car.

At least 10 children have died from heatstroke in vehicles so far in 2024, according to a US government report. KidsAndCars.org.

a GoFundMe has been raised by the family to raise money to hire a lawyer, get justice for their son, and bring his sister home.