A 27-year-old woman has been charged with child abuse resulting in death after leaving her two-year-old daughter inside a hot vehicle at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico.

Stephanie Piñon went to a child care center at SIPI with two of her children on Wednesday. While she went inside with an older child for an appointment, the younger one stayed inside the car.

According to news reports, Piñon told police she forgot about her two-year-old, who had been in the car for more than 2.5 hours. The temperature inside the vehicle would have reached between 128 and 135 degrees, according to an officer who responded to the scene.

Piñon's tribal affiliation, if any, was not reported. SIPI is a Bureau of Indian Education institution that is located on federal property but it appears Piñon has been charged in state court.

Get the Story:
Toddler Dies After Hours in Hot Van (The Albuquerque Journal 7/15)
Toddler left in van dies in heat (KOB-TV 7/14)
2-Year-Old Locked In Car Pronounced Dead (KOAT-TV 7/14)
Toddler, found in hot car, died (KRQE-TV 7/14)