The mother of a two-year-old girl who died of heat stroke in the city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, is under investigation for negligence in the care of her daughter.

Nichole was playing hide and seek with friends when apparently she decided to hide inside a sport utility vehicle. But a child locking device prevented her from getting out and she remained trapped inside in midday temperatures above 40 C.

The girl’s disappearance went unnoticed by her friends and there appeared to be no adult supervision. It wasn’t until her mother awoke from a nap that anyone knew she was missing. By the time Nichole was found, she had spent an estimated three hours inside the hot vehicle.

One report said by the time Red Cross paramedics arrived at the scene, the girl had already died. Another said she died in hospital late Wednesday afternoon.

Her 21-year-old mother is being held in preventive custody.

Nichole was the second child to die in the past week under the same circumstances. A girl the same age died in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, after she became trapped inside a vehicle on a hot afternoon.

Source: El Universal (sp), El Diario de Chihuahua (sp)