Mother faces charges over sons left in car

An American woman is expected to face manslaughter charges after her two foster sons died when were left in a sweltering car for five hours, police said today.

Leslie Sue Smoot, 48, who runs a children’s day care centre, left the three- and five-year-old boys strapped in their seats as temperatures soared to 100F (38C) in Mojave Desert city near Los Angeles.

She told police she thought someone else, possibly her husband, was going to take them out of the SUV.

When she returned to the vehicle she found five-year-old Dakota Prince dead.

His brother, Nehemiah Prince, was severely dehydrated and died a short time later at a hospital.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Smoot was expected to be charged with child endangerment and manslaughter.

He said: “Vehicles are not playpens. Vehicles are not babysitters. And vehicles, when they are not properly ventilated, are death traps.”

Sergeant Paul Patterson said the heat inside a closed car could have exceeded 120F (49C).

Parent Kandie Klein, whose children attended Smoot’s day care centre, said she was shocked to hear of the deaths.

“Miss Leslie was always attentive, always took care of the kids, was on top of things.”