A toddler died after her 3-year-old siblings closed her in an oven and turned it on while the children were left alone in an Houston apartment.
Racquel Thompson entered her kitchen to find her 19-month-old daughter, J’Zyra, inside of the oven, which was turned on, KTRK reports. The mother attempted CPR, but J’Zyra was unresponsive and the burns were too severe. The toddler had died before her mother found her.
Three other children were left alone in the apartment that night along with J’Zyra. They were all under 5 years old, and two of them were 3 years old.
The 3-year-old siblings told investigators with Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) that one of them had put their sister in the oven and the other one had turned it on, according to court documents obtained by KTRK. The toddler was reportedly kicking the doors of the oven as she was burned.
Police say that J’Zyra was left alone with her siblings while their mother and her boyfriend went out without telling their grandmother, who lives in the same Houston apartment complex. The mother and her boyfriend reportedly left to get pizza and to pick up a prescription.
CPS now has custody of the other three children, and they are currently in foster care.
Charges have not yet been filed against the parents, though criminal charges are expected.
“There are concerns that the children were often left home alone and without adult supervision. CPS had prior involvement with the mother and her children,” agency spokeswoman Estella Olguin said in an email.
Sassy Liberty