Police: Texas Mom Left Son in Hot Car, Stopped at McDonald’s En Route to Emergency Room Where He Died

A Texas woman faces life in prison for the death of her baby, whom she allegedly left in a hot car while at work.

Vanessa Esquivel, 27, was arrested by the Dallas Police Department on Aug. 20 and charged with murder, WFAA-TV in Dallas reported Wednesday.

If convicted, she could serve five years to life in prison and pay a $10,000 fine.

The incident happened on the afternoon of Aug. 16 in Frisco, Texas, when the temperature was reportedly 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to KDFW-TV in Dallas-Forth Worth.

Leaving her baby in the car, Esquivel clocked in for a shift at the spa she worked at, reportedly aware that the car’s air conditioning didn’t work.

When she clocked out more than two hours later, she realized her son was unresponsive.

She ordered at a McDonald’s before taking the child to the emergency room, according to the arrest affidavit.

When she arrived at a hospital in Plano, Texas, she reportedly lied about what had happened.

⚠️ WARNING: This post contains descriptions of the death of a child.

A Texas mother has been charged with murder after police say she intentionally left her 15-month-old child to die in a hot car while she went to work.

Vanessa Esquivel, 27, allegedly left her baby in a vehicle… pic.twitter.com/WVuPFSWaCZ

— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) August 30, 2025

“Vanessa told medical staff and Plano PD officers that the victim did not seem to be feeling well, and that she had been driving him around during the day in a hot vehicle since her air conditioning did not work,” the arrest affidavit read. “Vanessa told medical staff and Plano PD officers that she had been with the victim the entire day, and he was not supervised by anyone else.”

Medical staff told police that the baby’s core temperature was more than 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

He had likely died before getting to the hospital, staff said. He was 15 months old.

Police quickly realized Esquivel’s story didn’t add up.

Esquivel claimed she hadn’t gone to work that day.

Police discovered, however, that she had clocked in from 1:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., something a co-worker confirmed.

The next day, on Aug. 17, she called an employee at the spa, which records phone calls, saying that her baby had died.

“Vanessa told the employee that the police were investigating her, and she asked the employee not to leak her phone call. Vanessa stated the incident was her fault, and that she believed she would be arrested,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Dallas Police arrested her a few days later and took her to Collin County Jail.

Her bond was set at $250,000.

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