Mother Arrested After 3 Kids, Including 7-Month-Old, Found In Hot Car Parked At Simi Valley Home Depot

SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA) — A 24-year-old woman faces charges of child abuse after her three young children, including a 7-month-old, were found unattended and unrestrained in a hot car in a Simi Valley parking lot.

Employees of a Home Depot in Simi Valley called police shortly after noon Monday after customers told them three young children had been left unattended in a car in the parking lot, according to Simi Valley police.

Officers arrived to find a 6-year-old sobbing inconsolably, and two other children – a 2-year-old and a 7-month-old – unrestrained in the car, police said. One of the car's windows was rolled down, and the keys to the car were in the ignition. Officers said the car was uncomfortably hot even though outdoor temperatures were only in the mid-70s.

The children's mother, Yuzaira Reyes Romero, returned to the car during the investigation and was arrested. The children were taken into the custody of Child Protective Services.

Simi Valley Police says leaving young children unattended is unsafe, and that even in rather mild conditions, interior vehicle temperatures can reach dangerous levels.

Romero, who is being held on $50,000 bail, is scheduled to make her first court appearance Wednesday in Ventura.