Texas man charged with capital murder after 2‑year‑old dies in locked car

Lorenzo Rodriguez, a 25‑year‑old resident of Midland, Texas, was arrested and charged with capital murder after his 2‑year‑old daughter died after being left locked inside a non‑running Kia vehicle for several hours while he slept. Police were called to the 100 block of East Pecan Avenue on the evening of July 26, 2026, and found the toddler unresponsive in the hot car; she was pronounced dead at Midland Memorial Hospital.

Investigators noted that outside temperatures reached 99 °F, a condition that can cause interior car temperatures to exceed 130 °F within minutes. Rodriguez was sleeping in the house at the time and had consumed alcohol the previous night. The case remains under investigation.