Boy left in hot car dies in Paso Robles; father arrested on suspicion of murder
A 6-year-old boy died after he was left in a hot car in the midst of a record heat wave in Paso Robles on Saturday, police said, and his father has been arrested and accused of murder.
Briant Reyes Estrada, 27, is in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of murder and willful harm to a child, San Luis Obispo County Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth confirmed to The Tribune.
The Paso Robles Police Department was notified of the child’s death around 6 p.m. by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office after the child died at Twin Cities Hospital in Templeton, the agency said in a news release.
Officers responded to the hospital and found the child was driven to the hospital by his father, Reyes Estrada. Detectives believe the child died from possible heat-related injuries while inside the vehicle, which “may have been” parked in the Paso Robles Inn parking lot for several hours.
Paso Robles Police Chief Damian Nord told The Tribune the agency is awaiting an autopsy to confirm the child’s cause of death. The agency is also confirming exactly how long the child was in the car and how long the vehicle was parked at the Paso Robles Inn, Nord said.
The boy had attended Cambria Grammar School, Reyes Estrada’s former supervisor Matt Griffith told The Tribune. Coast Unified School District Superintendent Jill Southern said the student was not currently enrolled in classes.
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District sent out a news release that the student attended Pat Butler Elementary School and encouraged parents to have open, supportive conversations with their children. Mental health professionals will also be available on campus to support students and staff, the news release said.