Media Release
from St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office:
Arrest Made
for Negligent Homicide of Two-Year-Old Child
On October 4, 2019, just
before 8:00 p.m., the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a
medical complaint at 494 Carolyn Drive in Destrehan, LA in reference to a
child not breathing. Deputies arrived on scene and located a two-year-old
female, Avril Sanabria, lifeless inside the residence.
During the
investigation, it was learned that the child was left in the custody and
care of her aunt, Lezly Sanabria. On October 4, 2019, Lezly and Avril were
shopping in Metairie along with Avril’s grandmother. Upon returning home
shortly after 1:30 p.m., the grandmother returned to her residence, while
Lezly and another subject unloaded items from the vehicle.
After
unloading the vehicle, Lezly and the other subject went inside Lezly’s
residence, which is a separate home, but on the same property where the
grandmother’s residence is located. Lezly stated that she thought the child
had gone with her grandmother not realizing that Avril was still inside of
the vehicle buckled into her car seat. After approximately (6) six hours,
Lezly returned to the vehicle and discovered Avril unconscious and not
breathing inside of the car.
Temperature readings collected for St.
Charles Parish in the Destrehan area through the National Weather Service
during the incident timeframe showed temperatures reaching as high as 97
degrees with a heat index of 102 degrees outside of the vehicle. According
to research on the greenhouse effect in vehicles, the inside of a vehicle
heats up very quickly. Even if the windows are cracked, the temperature
inside a car can reach 125-140 degrees within 10-15 minutes.
Based on
the investigation, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Lezly Sanabria
for Negligent Homicide.
On October 15, 2019, detectives made contact
with Lezly Sanabria at her residence, where she was placed under arrest,
transported to the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona, LA where
she was booked accordingly.
“Any time there’s a loss of a child, it’s just a very tragic event no
matter if it’s by natural means or by accident or by some other means,” he
said.