Alabama brothers, 1 and 3, die in hot car after locking themselves in, family mourns 'unimaginable tragedy'
MONTEVALLO, ALABAMA: Two young Alabama brothers tragically died after they climbed into their family's car and locked themselves inside on a day that temperatures soared to 91 degrees outside. The heartbreaking discovery was made after deputies from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office were called to a residence off County Road 25 in Montevallo at around 3:30 pm on Saturday, August 15. according to AL.com. The worried parents of Daniel Garcia, 3, and Ivan Salazar Jr., 1, had called 911 to report that the two toddlers were missing and that they had not been able to find them.
When officers arrived at the scene, the parents told them that they thought the boys were playing in their rooms but had gone outside without them noticing. After frantically searching for them, they found both unresponsive inside a vehicle in the yard. Emergency medical treatment was provided by Southeast Shelby Rescue and both children were transported to Shelby Baptist Medical Center, where they were later declared dead.
Coroner Lisa Evans said the autopsy showed the boys' deaths were consistent with Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke. She said both of them had gotten into the vehicle sometime after 1 pm and were discovered at around 3:30 pm, which meant they were trapped inside for at least 1.5 hours. Jan Null, adjunct professor of meteorology at San Jose University and a "hot car" death expert, explained that since the temperatures outside were 91 degrees, the inside air temperature of the car could have been in excess of 135 degrees since objects or people inside in direct sunlight would have been significantly hotter.
Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego said Daniel and Ivan's deaths were tragic accidents and that there was no suspicion of foul play. "Our hearts and prayers are with the family of those two little boys during this unimaginable tragedy," he said in a press release.
"Daniel was one of the happiest kids you would ever meet. He enjoyed watching cartoons, especially Dinosaur King and Octonautsm," read an obituary for the three-year-old. "He adored his baby brother, Ivan, and would never let him out of his sight. He loved playing outside and riding his four-wheeler and little car."
"Ivan was a happy child that was full of laughter," an obituary for the younger boy stated. "He always wanted to be held. He was a momma’s boy during the day but wanted his daddy as soon as he arrived home. He loved and adored his daddy."
A double visitation will be held on Friday, August 21, from 5 pm to 8 pm at Ellison Memorial Funeral Home in Clanton. A double funeral is scheduled for Saturday, August 22, at 11 am from the Chapel of Ellison Memorial Funeral Home. Daniel and Ivan were the 16th and 17th children to die in a hot car in 2020, according to kidsandcars.org. However, since their deaths, two more children died after they were left unknowingly in vehicles - one in Texas and one in Oklahoma, taking the total to 19 for the year.