The parents of a five-year-old boy have been arrested after he died in a hot car outside their Arizona home while the family held a post-church party.
Theo Sabo was discovered unresponsive inside the overheated vehicle outside his family’s $1.1 million home in Peoria on Sunday.
His parents, Anca Sabo, 45, and Mihail Sabo, 50, have been charged with negligent homicide and child abuse for leaving him in the vehicle as temperatures reached 105 degrees, Fox 10 reported.
Police said the family arrived home at about 1pm after attending the baptism of another child. Theo was not reported missing until approximately 3.45pm, while the gathering was underway.
Relatives removed Theo from the vehicle and began CPR before firefighters transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to court records, Mihail told investigators that, shortly after the family returned from church, he instructed his unnamed 14-year-old son to take Theo out of the car.
The teenager told police he did not recall being asked to remove his younger brother from the vehicle.
“It appears that it was either a miscommunication between who or which family member was supposed to get the child out of the car,” police community relations officer William Kennedy said.
Theo Sabo, 5, died after being left inside a hot car outside his family’s Arizona home during a party on Sunday.
His parents, Anca Sabo, 45, and Mihail Sabo, said they had asked their unnamed 14-year-old son to take the boy out of the car.
During a court hearing on Monday, the parents’ lawyer, Leah Dodd, called the circumstances a “tragedy.”
‘Mom is hosting a party at their home, assumes dad is gonna get [the boy]. Dad asks the 14-year-old. That’s not asking a young child to get another child out of the vehicle,’ Dodd said in court footage obtained by @collectcallfrom.
‘He was sleeping, and there was a lot going on, but this does not deviate from what a normal person would do in this situation.’
The attorney also argued abuse and negligent homicide charges were not appropriate.
‘She called 911, she administered life-saving efforts, she answered all questions of detectives. This is not someone who is running away,’ Dodd said.
‘Everything that she and her husband did upon finding the child in the vehicle was standard care.’
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The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the boy’s cause or manner of death.
During the hearing, Anca begged the judge to let her see her other children.
‘I want to see my kids. Please let me see my kids,’ she said through tears.
Theo was pulled out of the car and given CPR by family members, then taken to hospital by the fire department, where he was pronounced dead
His parents, Anca Sabo, 45, and Mihail Sabo, 50, have been charged with negligent homicide and child abuse for leaving him in the vehicle
The boy was found unresponsive in a sweltering car outside his family’s $1.1 million home in Peoria as temperatures soared to 105 degrees on Sunday
The parents were given a $150,000 bond each and ordered not to have contact with each other, but the judge did allow supervised visits with their other children.
Both Anca and Mihail have a status conference scheduled for September 21 and a preliminary hearing on September 23.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the Sabo family to support Theo’s funeral and memorial expenses, and has raised over $223,000 as of Tuesday.
‘The Sabo family experienced the unimaginable heartbreak of losing their precious little boy, Theo,’ the fundraiser said.
‘If you know the Sabo family, you know how deeply loved they are and how much they have poured into their community through serving, loving, and giving to others.
‘As the Sabo family walks through these incredibly difficult days, we want to surround them with love, prayer, and practical support so they can focus on grieving, being together, and honoring Theo’s precious life.’
The Daily Mail contacted the Peoria Police Department, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and the couple’s defense attorney for comment.