Frisco police have charged a Dallas woman in the death of a 15-month-old who died after being left inside a sweltering vehicle, authorities say. Investigators allege the child was left for hours on Aug. 16, 2025, in a car with a broken air-conditioning system and later brought to Medical City Plano, where the child was pronounced dead. Police say detectives developed probable cause that led to an arrest warrant for 27-year-old Vanessa Esquivel.
What Detectives Say Happened
According to the Frisco Police Department, Plano officers first alerted Frisco detectives after the child was brought to Medical City Plano. The department says Esquivel arrived at her workplace in the 3200 block of Preston Road at about 2 p.m. and left the 15-month-old in a vehicle she knew did not have working air conditioning for more than two hours in temperatures reported at least 95 degrees. Detectives say they had probable cause to seek a murder warrant; Dallas police arrested Esquivel on Aug. 20, 2025, and she was later booked into the Collin County Jail with a bond set at $250,000.
Affidavit Details and Hospital Timeline
An arrest affidavit reviewed by CBS News Texas says Esquivel brought the child to the emergency department at about 5:30 p.m. and initially told staff the toddler had been in a hot car because the vehicle's air conditioning was not working. Medical staff recorded the child's core temperature at over 106 degrees, and investigators say employer records and a coworker statement contradicted Esquivel's claim that she had been with the child all day. The affidavit also alleges she stopped at a McDonald's on the way to the hospital; an autopsy listed prolonged heat exposure as the cause of death.
Legal Implications
Frisco police said the investigation produced probable cause to charge Esquivel with murder, a first-degree felony. Under Texas law, a first-degree felony carries a punishment range of five years to life in prison and a possible fine of up to $10,000, according to FindLaw. Prosecutors must still file formal charges and prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
What Investigators Are Asking
The Frisco Police Department is asking anyone with information to call its non-emergency line or submit an anonymous Tip411 message, the city's press release says. Local reporting and court records show Esquivel remains jailed on the murder charge and that the investigation is ongoing as prosecutors review the case, according to The Dallas Morning News. Authorities have not released the child's name.
Frisco police and local investigators did not immediately release further public comment; the case remains under active investigation. For additional local coverage, see reporting by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort-Worth.
