- Deja and Justin Rollins are charged with murder in the death of their 2-year-old son
- They already faced charges of child abuse and neglect.
An Arkansas couple has been charged with murder after leaving four children in a hot car, resulting in the death of their 2-year-old son.
Deja, 27, and Justin Rollins, 29, had already faced child abuse and neglect charges for allegedly leaving their children unattended in the car outside Arkansas Children’s Hospital on Sunday. KARK reports.
Officers said they responded to the scene after receiving reports that another of the children, an unidentified three-year-old boy, was taken for urgent treatment.
During the course of their investigation, Jacksonville police learned that the couple had four other children, ages 2, 4, 7 and 10, but the couple allegedly refused to tell police where the children were.
Justin, left, and Deja Rollins, right, face murder charges in the death of their 2-year-old son, who was left in a hot car with his siblings on Sunday.
Police later found the children inside a car in the hospital parking lot and alerted hospital security, who managed to open the car. according to Arkansas Online.
All of those children suffered heat exhaustion and were treated in hospital. according to KATV.
But the next day, 2-year-old Jay’Dien Rollins was pronounced dead.
During the course of a subsequent investigation, police also found a malnourished dog inside her Jacksonville home and turned it over to Jacksonville Animal Services.
Her children, ages 2, 4, 7 and 10, were found inside a car in the parking lot of Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
The parents now each face five counts of first-degree domestic assault, five counts of neglect of a vulnerable person, five counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, one count of animal cruelty and one count of obstructing government operations.
They pleaded not guilty to murder charges at a hearing on Tuesday, just a day after pleading not guilty to earlier charges.
Both Deja and Justin are now being held at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Center without bond.
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