A Texas father has been charged with capital murder after allegedly leaving his two-year-old daughter in a locked, non-running car for approximately nine hours while he slept off a night of drinking. The child, Luciana Madeline Rodriguez, was found unresponsive by relatives.
Authorities responded to a call about an unresponsive toddler inside a car on the 100 block of East Pecan Avenue in Midland on Sunday evening. Relatives, concerned after learning Lorenzo Rodriguez, 25, had been drinking heavily the previous night, went to his home to check on him and his daughter. After receiving no answer, they forced their way into the residence and found Rodriguez asleep. They learned he had been sleeping for about nine hours, having gone to bed around 11 a.m.
When Luciana was not found inside the home, family members discovered her unresponsive in Rodriguez's black Kia, which was turned off. They broke a window to retrieve the child and immediately called 911.
Luciana was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The car had become extremely hot, with temperatures in Midland reaching up to 99 degrees Fahrenheit that day. The National Weather Service indicates that the interior of a locked vehicle can rapidly exceed 130 degrees Fahrenheit under such conditions.
Rodriguez was arrested and booked into the Midland County Detention Center on a $1.5 million bond. In Texas, capital murder charges can apply in cases involving the death of a child under 10 or a killing committed during another felony. If convicted, Rodriguez faces either the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Prior to the incident, Rodriguez had shared several posts on Facebook expressing love for his daughter and a desire to be a "healed parent" for his children. He had also posted about wanting to "win for my kid."
The investigation into Luciana's death is ongoing.