Parents Charged With Murder After Toddler Dies in Hot Car

An Arkansas couple has been charged with capital murder after one of their young children left inside a hot vehicle died from apparent heat exhaustion, authorities said. Prosecutors in Little Rock filed the murder charges Monday against Deja and Justin Rollins following their 2-year-old's death. They've pleaded not guilty, per the AP. Police initially responded to a child abuse report Sunday afternoon at Arkansas Children's Hospital, where the couple's 3-year-old was receiving urgent medical treatment, reports CBS News. Meanwhile, hospital security learned that the couple had four children, ages 2, 4, 7, and 10, inside a vehicle in the parking lot.

The children were brought inside for treatment, and the 2-year-old died the next day, police said. Besides the murder charges, Deja and Justin Rollins each face charges of domestic battery, neglect, child endangerment, animal cruelty, and obstruction, officials said. Investigators found a malnourished dog at the Rollins' residence in Jacksonville, just northeast of Little Rock. The couple was being held without bond on Tuesday. Prosecutors haven't said whether they'll seek the death penalty.

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