Authorities are investigating the tragic death of a 2-month-old baby who was left alone in a hot car for hours.
The baby, named Diana Sofia De Los Santos, was found unresponsive in an SUV outside her adoptive parents’ home in Santee, San Diego, on June 13, 2024.
Diana had been in the car for several hours in 63°F weather before a family member found her. They called 911, but sadly, Diana was pronounced dead at the hospital.
According to the Daily Mail, Diana was recently adopted as a newborn by Romer and Jayson De Los Santos. The couple brought Diana home on April 11 after traveling to Arizona to meet her in the hospital. Romer and Jayson, who also have a 2-year-old son, started the process to adopt another child in November of last year.
The couple shared this message on their adoption website profile: “Our hearts and home are open to providing more love to another amazing child. We want our children to grow up with memories of playing on the beach, building sandcastles, making friends, biking to the park, going on Hawaiian cruises, and raising foster kittens.”
San Diego County Sheriff’s Office detectives are looking into who left Diana in the SUV and how she was forgotten there. No charges have been filed yet.
Romer works as a senior consultant at Jama Software, and Jayson is a stay-at-home dad since they adopted their son. The couple has been together for over 20 years.
According to No Heat Stroke, about 37 children die every year in the US from being left in hot cars since 1998.
California law fines anyone $100 for leaving a child under six in a car in dangerous conditions. Authorities remind everyone: “Never leave your child alone in a car even for a second to run a quick errand. Summer routines can change unexpectedly, and even the best parents can forget a quiet or sleeping child in the backseat.”
Rest in peace, baby Diana.