19-year-old Amanda Hawkins is facing charges on two counts of endangering or abandoning a child after she deliberately left her two young daughters in her vehicle for more than 15 hours over Tuesday night through to noon Wednesday. Addyson Overgard-Eddy, 2, and her one-year-old sister Brynn Hawkins died on Thursday.
Two toddlers left in car for 15 hours
According to a news release by Kerr County Sheriff W.R. Hierholzer, their investigators had discovered that Hawkins had left the two toddlers in the vehicle on Tuesday night, leaving them there until noon the next day.
The release went on to say that while the children were in the car, the mother had been spending time with a 16-year-old male friend and other friends inside a home.
The Sheriff went on to emphasize the fact that Hawkins had deliberately left the two children in the car, while she spent time with her friends in the house, staying overnight. Reportedly the male friend had returned to the car for a short while to sleep, but then returned to the house.
Two Hill Country children dead after being left in car for more than 15 hours https://t.co/ygUNNNrdmh pic.twitter.com/gAMR6DN8ai
— Zesty Texas News (@zesty_texas) June 9, 2017
Children were crying in the car but no one took notice
Hierholzer said in the news release that people in the house had reported hearing the two children crying, but that no one had checked up on them.
When Hawkins went to the car at noon on Wednesday, both girls were unconscious. The Sheriff added that Hawkins tried to bathe the girls, but did not immediately take them to the hospital as she reportedly didn’t want to get into trouble.
The New York Daily News reports that while the sheriff didn’t state the cause of the toddlers’ deaths, temperatures reportedly reached into the 90s on Wednesday during the day.
Mother takes two toddlers to hospital
According to Fox 29, Hawkins and her male friend took the two toddlers to the Peterson Regional Medical Center in Kerrsville. However, on arrival, the two girls were said to be in a “grave condition” and medical staff transferred them to the San Antonio University Hospital. According to the news release, both girls passed away in that hospital at around 5 p.m.
on Thursday.
Suspicions arose after Hawkins told hospital staff that she had been spending time at a nearby lake with the two toddlers and her male friend. She told them the girls were smelling flowers there and then suddenly collapsed. Hierholzer said Hawkins was trying to make medical staff believe the two toddlers had been affected by something poisonous. Hierholzer went on to say that this was the most horrifying example of child endangerment he has seen in 37 years in law enforcement.
Charges against Texas mother may be upgraded.
Hawkins was arrested and was first held in Bexar County Jail before being moved to Kerr County Jail. The Sheriff said the charges against the mother could be upgraded when the case goes to a grand jury and the 16-year-old male may also face charges.
