A 5-year-old boy from Texas died in a hot car when the temperature reached 100 degrees

A 5-year-old boy died in a hot car in Texas on Monday as his family prepared to celebrate his older brother’s and sister’s birthday later that day.

The child was accidentally left in the vehicle outside the family home in Harris County for several hours, the local sheriff said, as temperatures outside rose to 100 degrees.

The boy’s mother had returned home with her two children in the back seat of her car, saw her 8-year-old jump out and suggested her younger child had come out, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Two to three hours later, she realized that he had disappeared and ran outside to find her son, still strapped into the child seat in the back of the car. BMP was called and found that the young boy was dead on the spot.

The family was busy preparing for the 8-year-old’s birthday at the time of the little boy’s death.

The mother told police that her son usually knows how to unbutton and get out of the car, but the car in which he died was a rental car, Gonzalez said.

Police said the investigation is ongoing.

The family noticed the absence of the 5-year-old until two to three hours later.FOX26

The day after the boy’s death, Harris County Sheriff’s Office tweeted tips to teach children about car safety – including teaching them how to unbuckle a car seat, honk a horn, turn on hazards and unlock front doors.

The announcement came with a note that this month is about to be the hottest June in history.

The 5-year-old is the fifth child in the United States to die from heat stroke after being left in a car this year, according to meteorologist Jan Zero, who has been tracking similar deaths since 1998.

His death was the second such fatal incident in less than a week. A 3-month-old baby died last Thursday after being left in a hot car for several hours in Pennsylvania.

The temperature in the car can reach over 115 degrees when the outside temperature is only 70 degrees, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Since 1998, 912 children have died in hot cars. In most cases, they were forgotten by a parent or guardian.