A five-year-old boy has died after his foster father allegedly left him in a hot car for seven hours, marking the tenth car-related tragedy this year.
The victim, who has been identified as Dionicio Perez, was found unresponsive Wednesday after his adoptive mother, Juanita Pinon, 40, allegedly left him in her SUV in a parking lot outside a hair salon in Omaha, Nebraska.
Although prosecutors claimed at Friday’s hearing that Pinon went to check on the boy several times, surveillance footage showed the boy was in fact left unsupervised the entire time.
Perez’s body temperature reached 105 degrees at the time of his death and he was reportedly trapped in the car with a temperature of 89 degrees. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Pinon, who has a criminal record, faces up to 20 years in prison for negligent child abuse resulting in death. Omaha police said she had five other children in her care.
The victim, who has been identified as Dionicio Perez, was found unresponsive Wednesday after his adoptive mother, Juanita Pinon, 40, allegedly left him in her SUV in a parking lot outside a hair salon in Omaha, Nebraska.
Juanita Pinon, 40, reportedly left her five-year-old adopted son in her pickup truck in a parking lot for seven hours in 89-degree heat.
Prosecutors presented evidence to the court that Pinon parked his car at 10:30 a.m. and then proceeded to work.
Police spokesman Chris Gordon said ABC News Pinon did not confirm whether this was an accident or intentional.
The foster mother was previously convicted in a theft by deception case in 2016 and 2017.
Court documents show Pinon, who is bilingual, misused $12,000 from non-English-speaking tenants in 2016. He received probation and was ordered to repay the funds.
On Friday, the court set bail at $2 million and he is expected to appear in court on August 16.
Friends and family of Perez gathered Friday night for a vigil in his memory.
Friends and family of Perez gathered Friday night for a vigil in his memory.
On Friday, the court set Pinon’s bail at $2 million. He is expected to appear in court on August 16.
Matthew Jesop, Perez’s biological uncle, is devastated by the loss and said 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 little boy without giving him the chance to have a life, so a life for a life,’ Jessop said. KeTV Television.
“I have a lot of images in my head, like how many times have you done this before? How many times have you not attended to the needs of the children in your care?” she continued.
The heartbroken uncle said his sister – the boy’s biological mother – and Pinon were friends before, so she ignored the warning signs.
“Even though Juanita had power of attorney, there should have been a more thorough investigation into her background and my sister’s history of poor judgment,” Jessop said.
Perez’s biological father, Pablo Lopez, along with her stepmother, Jenny, said they sought custody, but the state assured them Perez was in good hands.
“The social worker told me they were in good hands. They said they had a cement business and the children wouldn’t suffer,” Jenny and Pablo Lopez said. “Why did they only look for me then, until he died? They could have done it when he was alive and they didn’t.”
While prosecutors say Pinon went to check on the boy several times at Friday’s hearing, surveillance footage showed the boy was in fact left unsupervised outside a shopping center.
Perez’s body temperature reached 105 degrees 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 ask the system to investigate that person. Investigate that person as thoroughly as possible before putting children in the hands of people who don’t want them.”
Pablo is currently working to obtain custody of Perez’s twin sister.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a child has died as a result of being trapped in a hot car.
At least 10 children have died from heatstroke in vehicles across the United States so far in 2024, according to Kids and cars.org.
TO GoFundMe The family has asked for funds to be able to hire a lawyer and seek justice for their son and bring his sister back home.