A Houston mother of five has been arrested for leaving four of her children in a locked car on a scorching summer day to buy pizza, breaking her silence.
Destiny Morales was arrested Thursday and charged with abandonment of a child with intent to return, according to Harris County Constable Precinct 4.
The young mother went to the Sam’s Club at 300 E Richey Road to pick up pizza, leaving her children alone in a locked car for more than 40 minutes — on a day when temperatures hovered around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) and the wind chill was closer to 106 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius), the National Weather Service said.
Shocked witnesses called police to warn them that only children were in a locked vehicle. They said the car was running and the children were screaming. Some were visibly sweating and appeared red in the face, according to a news release.
Morales said Fox26 Houston that she would “never harm” her children and felt that what was reported was “the opposite of what happened.” However, she also admitted that she had “made a mistake” and felt remorse.
Destiny Morales was arrested Thursday and charged with abandonment of a child with intent to return, according to Harris County Constable Precinct 4
The young mother was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail before being released on bail, but it is unclear what the bail amount was and when her next court date is.
Morales told authorities she was only at the store for 30 minutes, but during the investigation, police said it was closer to 46 minutes.
The young mother said the air conditioning was on and told them her children were not locked in the vehicle, Fox5 reported.
When police arrived, they found the air conditioning in the vehicle was on, but warm air was coming out of the vents instead of cold air, despite the day being almost three degrees Celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit).
Emergency services arrived on the scene and the children were examined.
Child protective services were also contacted.
After Morales ordered the pizza and walked away Outside she saw that her children were already standing outside the car.
She saw part of the store staff who were babysitting her children, and she was arrested shortly afterward.
Morales told the news outlet that while she was waiting to pick up her food, her daughter ran into the store because she and her brother were arguing.
It is unclear how old Morales’ children are.
Morales, who was clearly upset by what had happened, told the news outlet: ‘I take care of my children. I love my children. I do so much.
She added: ‘One mistake and it will ruin my whole name, my whole character.’
The Sam’s Club and the East Richey Road location where Morales left her four children in a hot car last week
Morales was taken to Harris County Jail and released on bail. Information about her bail has not been released.
She is currently awaiting a court hearing.
According to the latest figures from the National Security Councilthere have been 18 fatal accidents involving hot cars so far in 2024. In 2023, the total was 29.
Earlier this month, Arizona father of three Christopher Scholtes was charged with second-degree murder and child abuse after he left his two-year-old daughter, Parker Scholtes, in a car in temperatures that reached a deadly 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
His daughter was left in theThe family’s blue 2023 Honda Acura SUV was left in the driveway of their Tucson, Arizona, home for up to three hours as he reportedly played on his PlayStation.
When his doctor wife Erika came home, she made the horrific discovery. She performed CPR and tried other life-saving measures, but unfortunately it was too late and her daughter died.