Olathe dad charged with murder, accused of leaving young son in hot car

OLATHE, Kan. — More than a year after the death of her 11-month-old baby, an Olathe mom still carries the guilt of not being able to save her little boy’s life.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there – I should have been there” Persyda Trevino, August’s mom, said.

She shared her grief as the child’s father is charged with the murder of his son. The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office accuses him of leaving the boy in a hot car for hours.

You saw the story first on FOX4 in January . That’s when the boy’s mom came forward after charges had not been filed nearly a year after his death. Now, she says the charges are providing some relief.

“I went from having this perfect family with three kids and a husband to not only losing our baby at 11 months old, to also losing my husband,” she said.

Her world was shattered in seven days.

Trevino rushed to the hospital after finding out her 11-month-old was in the fight of his life. This happened after he and two of his siblings ages 3 and 5 were left in a hot car for hours according to investigators.

Baby August had a metabolic condition requiring that he be fed every three hours, and his body couldn’t effectively regulate his temperature.

But after months of waiting for this family, Michael Pierro, the child’s father, faces four felony charges in this case, including first-degree murder.

The person who fought the hardest to ensure someone was held accountable, August’s mom, finally feels like a weight has been lifted off of her.

“When it finally happened and when I able to see that he was finally arrested for doing what he did – it was just a feeling of numbness,” she said.

Now, you might be wondering why this took so long for charges to be brought considering August died nearly a year-and-a-half ago.

The district attorney responded by saying: “The complexities surrounding this case required extensive follow up. You see this type of delay in many child death cases.”

Pierro made his first appearance on Friday and is due back in court on August 22. His bond is set at $750,000 according to online court records.

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