It is alleged Cynthia Marie Randolph left the children in the car as punishment
A mother has been indicted over the deaths of her two toddlers, who were locked inside a hot car.
It is alleged that Cynthia Marie Randolph left her two-year-old daughter Juliet and 16-month-old son Cavanaugh in the car ‘as a punishment’.
The children died of heatstroke while their mother was inside her home smoking marijuana, prosecutors believe.
Both were found dead in Weatherford, Texas, on May 26.
Randolph, 25, was charged with two counts of first-degree injury to a child causing serious bodily injury on June 23.
It was revealed in June that a medical examiner ruled the young children’s deaths as homicides, dying of heatstroke while they were inside the hot car on the 96F day.
Police said Randolph was trying to teach Juliet a lesson for not coming out of the car when asked. The mother allegedly went back inside to smoke pot and take a nap.
Randolph put the children inside the car and then went inside the house and smoked marijuana before taking a nap for two to three hours, thinking the children would leave the car on their own when they were ready, according to police.
It is alleged that Cynthia Marie Randolph left her two-year-old daughter Juliet and 16-month-old son Cavanaugh (pictured) in the car ‘as a punishment’
Randolph’s story changed several times, investigators said. Initially, she told police that she was doing chores in the house when the children ‘took off’
When the mother found the children in distress inside the car, she broke the window of the car to make the incident look like an accident, police said.
An arrest affidavit says Randolph later said her daughter refused to get out of the car so she locked both toddlers inside to teach them a lesson – thinking they’d exit on their own.
Randolph’s story changed several times, investigators said. Initially, she told police that she was doing chores in the house when the children ‘took off’.
After extensive interviews with police, investigators determined that Randolph actually intentionally left the children in the car to teach young Juliet a lesson
In that version, she said she searched the property for some time before finding the children locked inside a four-door car, which they’d presumably entered themselves and locked from the inside.
Temperatures reached 96 degrees Fahrenheit that day.
After extensive interviews with police, investigators determined that Randolph actually intentionally left the children in the car to teach young Juliet a lesson.
Parker County records show Randolph remains jailed.
Investigators didn’t immediately return a message Sunday on possible upgraded charges.