9-year-old girl dies after being left in hot car by mother during work shift at USG Corp. facility near Galena Park, Texas
July 7, 2025
TEXAS (From news reports) -- A child has died after being found in a hot car while her mother went to work.
The incident was reported to HPD at 2:06 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, July 2, at the USG Corporation industrial complex located in the 1200 block of Mayo Shell Road in the Galena Park area. Officers reportedly arrived at the scene at 2:18 p.m.
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the victim was a 9-year-old girl. She was rushed to Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital but was later pronounced dead.
The girl was reportedly left unattended in the hot vehicle by her mother while she went to work for the day. She left the girl with water, and the car's windows were rolled down, partially.
The mother's shift was believed to have started at 6 a.m. this morning, with outdoor temperatures reaching as high as 97 degrees.
After returning to the car in the afternoon, the mom found her daughter unresponsive.
In a press conference at the scene, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said it is unclear whether access to childcare played a role in the incident, but the victim's mother was detained at the scene but released the following day.
"This obviously wasn't safe... there's never an excuse, whether you're running inside a store or don't have a sitter in place," Sheriff Gonzalez said.
HCSO homicide detectives said this is an active investigation and will await on the autopsy results on the child before any charges are filed.
"This case appears unique -- most of the time, cases like these are due to people forgetting. Here, the child was left knowingly," Sheriff Gonzalez added.
USG Corporation released the following statement regarding the situation:
"I can confirm a medical emergency occurred today at a USG plant in Galena Park, TX, involving the child of an employee. Our thoughts are with the family of the child and all those impacted. Our top priority is always the safety and wellbeing of USG team members and our community.
We are monitoring the situation closely and are cooperating fully with local authorities as they respond and conduct their investigation.
