Urgent Plea for Suspect to Surrender After Toddler’s Death

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Police have urged a suspect to turn himself in after a toddler was found dead inside a locked, parked car. The child was discovered in a stolen vehicle. The child’s father had been killed in Houston on Tuesday, said police.

“We are asking for a lot of things from the public right now,” Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite told reporters during a press conference Tuesday night. “First and foremost, to pray for this family. A mother lost her husband, and she lost her 2-year-old child today. We are also asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect. He is still at large.”

A shooting in El Camino Rey Del Rey Street and Chimney Rock Road was called into the Houston Police Department 911emergency line on Tuesday, around 1:46 p.m. At the scene, officers discovered the body of a 38-year-old man who had been shot to death, said Satterwhite. 

Investigators said that the victim possibly met another man at the location when an altercation occurred. The victim was shot multiple times before the assailant stole his vehicle and fled the scene.

Around 6:36 p.m. local time, a woman called 911 to report her husband and 2-year-old son missing. According to Satterwhite, based on the information she gave, police believed her missing husband to be the shooting victim found earlier in the day. They also learned of the missing 2-year-old for the first time.

“We never knew about the child until she called,” he told reporters.

More than 10 miles away, on Elm Street, the stolen S UV with the child was found. Officers shattered the window, administered aid to the child, and called for medical services.

“Sadly, it was too late. The child [sic] had passed in the car,” he said. “At this time, we don’t know why or how or what the cause of death will be. It could be something like heat exhaustion, we just don’t know. That will be determined later through autopsy.”

According to Satterwhite, investigators believed the suspect abandoned the locked vehicle with the child inside. The engine was not running.

“It’s the hardest thing we do,” he told reporters. “Children are innocent.”

Police have yet to apprehend the suspect, who remains unidentified. He is said to be a Black man wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, and a black Oakland Raiders cap.

Satterwhite has urged the suspect to: “Turn yourself in. Turn yourself in now.”