A 5-year-old girl died Tuesday after she was left inside a vehicle outside a home on Redbird Drive in Garland, police said.
Garland police and firefighters responded about 8:20 p.m. Aug. 18 to a medical emergency involving a child, according to a department news release. Family members had already started CPR. First responders continued those efforts and took the girl to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators said an adult relative had returned home from school with the 5-year-old and a sibling. The girl was left in the car. After the family realized she was missing, they searched the house and yard, then found her unresponsive in the vehicle, Officer Matt Pesta said, according to CBS Texas and NBC 5.
**News Release**
— Garland Police PIO (@GarlandPD) August 19, 2026
Issue Date: August 19, 2026
Release Number: 2026-08-24
Child Death
On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at approximately 8:20 PM, Garland Police and Fire Departments responded to a residence on Redbird Drive regarding a medical emergency involving a 5-year-old female… pic.twitter.com/WC1SaxyQp7
Pesta told FOX 4Pesta told FOX 4 the child had been in the vehicle for several hours on a day when an Extreme Heat Warning was in effect. NBC 5 reported the high at DFW Airport on Tuesday was 104 degrees, and it was still 100 at 7:53 p.m.
No charges have been filed. Police said the investigation is ongoing and that counseling is being offered to the family.
Garland ISD said the child was a new student and that crisis counselors are available on campus.
Kids and Car Safety said she is at least the 23rd child to die in a hot car in the United States this year. The National Weather Service has another Extreme Heat Warning in effect for North Texas today.
Officials urge caregivers to check the back seat every time they leave a vehicle.
