Teen girl with special needs dies after being left in hot car in South Carolina, police arrest mother and her male companion
A South Carolina teacher and her male companion have been arrested and charged after the former's teenage special needs child died after they left her inside a sweltering car for more than two hours.
Rita Pangalangan, 49, and Larry King, 41, of Colleton County, were arrested after the former's 13-year-old daughter was found dead near a vehicle on August 5, according to a press release by the Colleton County Sheriff's Office.
The pair were apprehended after Colleton County Sheriff's Office investigators and Colleton County Fire-Rescue responded to 11685 Lowcounty Highway, 60 miles outside of Charleston, after receiving a call about a child who had been left inside a vehicle.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene within eight minutes and found a 13-year-old girl, later determined to be Pangalangan's daughter Cristina, lying on the ground next to a vehicle. She had already been removed from the vehicle by "family members."
Despite their best attempts, the teen could not be saved and was declared dead. Speaking about the incident to WCBD, Colleton County Fire-Rescue Chief Barry McRoy said the teen had been locked inside the car for at least two hours, possibly longer.
Pangalangan and King were at the scene when emergency responders arrived and were transported to the sheriff's headquarters for questioning. Both were later charged with murder in connection to Cristina's death.
The pair had their bond hearing at 4 pm on August 6 in front of a magistrate judge at the Colleton County Detention Center, where another one of Pangalangan's daughters testified in support of her and King.
"We will all stand behind her and we all love her. She was just a good mom," she said, adding, "I wasn't raised with [King], but I know he loved my sister too."
But ultimately, the judge denied bond to both Pangalangan and King.
Speaking after the hearing, Kristin Hawk, an acquaintance of Pangalangan, begged to differ and said the warning signs had been there. "Rita has always kinda been slack, but I never thought it would come to this," she said. "She has left the child home by herself to go to the bar and something should have been done weeks ago."
Pangalangan was an early childhood education teacher with the Colleton County School District, and, in a statement, the district confirmed they were aware of her arrest and that she had been placed on administrative leave.