An investigation is underway in Texas after a 5-year-old boy was reportedly forgotten in a hot car and died.

Aiden Martinez was tragically found dead in a car outside Pinnacle Kids Academy in San Antonio. According to Police Chief William McManus, the boy’s 22-year-old mother mistakenly believed she had dropped him off at school, but she had inadvertently left him in the backseat while she worked, as reported by KSAT.

Martinez’s mother was employed near her son’s preschool. It is thought that she drove to the preschool later in the day to pick him up, not realizing he had been in the car throughout her workday.

That afternoon, the preschool staff informed Martinez’s mother that she had not brought him to school that day. The boy was subsequently found in her vehicle shortly after this revelation.

According to KSAT, police are investigating whether Martinez was accidentally or intentionally left in the car.

Martinez is the 15th child to die in a hot car this year. According to No Heat Stroke, 39 children died in hot cars in 2024.

[Feature Photo: Pixabay]