Parents arrested after child found unresponsive inside a vehicle
By abc15.com staff
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PHOENIX (KNXV) — A Peoria couple is facing negligent homicide and child abuse charges after a 5-year-old boy was found unresponsive inside a vehicle at a residence and later pronounced dead at a hospital.
At around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, Peoria Police responded to a home near 69th Avenue and Mariposa Grande Lane after receiving reports of a child found unresponsive inside a vehicle.
Officials say family members removed the child from the vehicle and began administering CPR.
The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A preliminary investigation determined the family arrived at home from church at about 1 p.m. At around 3:45 p.m. the family realized the child was missing and began searching for him. His mother located him unresponsive in the family vehicle and called 911.
“It appears that it was a miscommunication between family members of who was actually going to get the child out of the car,” Kennedy said.
911 was not called until 2:45 that afternoon. The boy was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officials announced that the child’s parents, Mihail Sabo and Anca Sabo, were arrested and booked on charges of negligent homicide and child abuse.
The judge set a $150,000 secured appearance bond for each parent, less than the $250,000 cash-only bond the state had requested.
Both parents were ordered to have no contact with each other and can only see their four surviving children under supervision by the Department of Child Safety or an appropriate responsible adult.
The couple has been married for 19 years and has four other children ranging in age from 9 to 18. The defense attorney told the court the family has no prior criminal history and no prior DCS involvement.
The judge did not restrict either parent from returning to their home, but the no-contact order between the two effectively complicates that.
Officer Kennedy said Arizona’s extreme heat makes tragedies like this one a danger every family should take seriously, and offered a simple reminder.
“We like to say look before you lock,” Kennedy said. “Always ensure and have a clear communication on who is taking responsibility for that child. Don’t just assume that your spouse or another family member may be taking that child out. It takes 2 seconds to take another look and ensure and go through the car one more time just to make sure no pets, elderly members, or children are left in that car. It could save a life.”
Both Mihail and Anca Sabo are due back in Maricopa County Superior Court for a status conference on September 21st at 8:30 a.m., followed by a preliminary hearing on September 23rd at 8:30 a.m.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional information is available at this time.
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