An investigation is underway in Texas after a 5-year-old boy was reportedly forgotten in a hot car and died.

Aiden Martinez was found deceased in a vehicle outside Pinnacle Kids Academy in San Antonio. Police chief William McManus said the boy’s 22-year-old mother thought she dropped him off at school  — but she had left him in the backseat while working, according to KSAT.

Martinez’s mother worked near the boy’s preschool. She is believed to have driven to the preschool to pick up her son — unaware that he had been in her car the whole day.

That afternoon, Martinez’s mother learned from preschool staff that she had not dropped him off on Wednesday. The boy was discovered in the vehicle shortly thereafter.

According to KSAT, police are investigating whether Martinez was accidentally or intentionally left in the car.

Martinez is the 15th child to die in a hot car this year. According to No Heat Stroke, 39 children died in hot cars in 2024.

[Feature Photo: Pixabay]