An Indianapolis couple is facing child neglect charges after their two young children were left in a locked car for over 40 minutes in extreme heat. The incident, which occurred at a Walmart on Pendleton Pike on Monday night, came to light when a passerby alerted authorities to the children's distressing situation, as reported by CBS4 Indy.

Lawrence police responded to the scene, finding one child "sweating profusely" and the other appearing "dazed" meanwhile, the parents were arrested and taken to the Marion County jail on two counts of neglect of a dependent, emergency personnel estimated the car's temperature could have exceeded 125 degrees due to the scorching mid-90's weather outside, suggesting the vehicle became an oven for the young souls trapped within, suffering silently in sweltering stagnation.

In a warning that underscores the gravity of the situation, Sgt. Anthony Patterson of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department admonished, "We never want to leave our kids unattended, much less when it's hot outside," reminding the public of the risks posed by rapidly rising temperatures in a turned off vehicle, as per CBS4 Indy. The harrowing plight of the children in this incident resonates as a somber testament to his words.

According to information obtained from Walmart surveillance footage by the WRTV report, the children were confined to the stifling conditions of the non-operational SUV while their parents were absent, which upon the parents' return to the SUV, the critical state of the children prompted immediate medical assessment, thankfully, both children were found to have normal vitals though their body temperatures were significantly elevated.

Simultaneously, the Indiana State Police Bloomington District took to social media to amplify the danger of such scenarios, and the necessity for vigilance when it comes to leaving any dependent being—be it a child or a pet—in a hot car, even if only stepping away for what one believes to be a brief moment, reflecting on the fine line between perceived brevity and the elongating shadows of potential tragedy.