5-year-old boy dies after foster mom allegedly leaves him in locked car for hours

OMAHA, Neb. (TCN) -- Police arrested a 40-year-old woman after her foster son was left alone in a locked car for several hours, leading to his death.

On Wednesday, July 10, at approximately 5:10 p.m., Omaha Police Department officers responded to an address on North 93rd Street regarding an unresponsive child. Paramedics took the 5-year-old boy to a local hospital, where he was declared deceased. Police said preliminary investigation shows the child was "left unattended inside of a vehicle for an extended period of time."

Police announced they arrested Juanita Pinon, the boy’s foster mother, and booked her into the Douglas County Corrections Center on a charge of child abuse by neglect resulting in death.

WOWT-TV identified the boy as Dionicio Perez and said Pinon was working at a nail salon while the boy was left in the car. Pinon is reportedly a friend of Perez’s family. Perez’s mother gave power of attorney over her three youngest children to Pinon in 2022 because she believed she could no longer take care of them.

Officials are waiting for autopsy results to determine whether heat played a role in the boy’s death. The temperature reached 89 degrees in Omaha that day.

Pinon’s bond has been set at $2 million, according to WOWT.