North Texas

Unattended Child Rescued from Car, Mom Arrested Outside Mesquite Wal-Mart

Outside temperature was 92 degrees at the time of rescue, police say

A North Texas woman is facing child endangerment charges after her unattended 2-year-old child had to be rescued from her car Tuesday night.

Schytique Laqueta Jenkins, 26, was arrested outside a Mesquite Wal-Mart at about 8:30 p.m. after someone called police to report a child left alone in a vehicle.

Police located the vehicle and removed the child. Paramedics said the child did not require medical treatment and the child was released to a family member.

The temperature at the time was 92 degrees. According to, if the outside temperature is 90 degrees the inside temperature can climb to 109 degrees in just 10 minutes; it can climb to 124 degrees in 30 minutes.

A child's body temperature can rise up to five times faster than an adult and a child can die with a body temperature of 107 degrees.

Officials did not say how long the child was left in the car.

Jenkins was arrested and charged with abandoning and endangering a child with intent to return. She's currently being held on $10,000 bond.

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