Hot car death update: Mom reportedly locked two toddlers in car to ‘teach them a lesson’ while she smoked weed inside her air conditioned home

A Texas mom accused of locking her two toddlers in a hot car in May reportedly told officers that she wanted to “teach them a lesson.”

Parker County, Texas, police arrested Cynthia Randolph, 24, last week in connection with the deaths of her two children, Juliet, 2, and 1-year-old Cavanaugh. According to authorities, both children were left in a hot car on May 26 for at least three hours, with the outside temperature reaching over 96 degrees. Both kids were found unresponsive inside the vehicle, but both died shortly after.

Initially, Randolph reportedly told police that her children “took off” and locked themselves in the car. After detectives questioned her further, she changed her story numerous times. A police reported indicated that eventually, Randolph said she left her daughter in the car after the toddler refused to get out, as a way to teach her a lesson.

“She shut the car door to teach her daughter a ‘lesson,’ thinking, ‘she could get herself and her brother out of the car when ready. Randolph then told investigators she went into her home, smoked marijuana and went to sleep for two to three hours.”

Upon further questioning, Randolph reportedly admitted that she broke one of her car windows to “make it look like an accident.”

WFAA reports that Child Protective Services (CPS) had previous contact with Randolph before the children’s death, but the details are currently disclosed.

Randolph is currently facing two charges of “injury to a child causing serious bodily injury.” She’s being held at the Parker County Jail without bond.

Texas remains the leading state in hot car deaths involving children. According to the Department of Meteorology & Climate Science at San Jose State University, a total of seven children in Texas died while trapped in a hot car in 2017. A total of 14 children nationwide have died in hot cars in 2017.

[Feature Photo: Parker County Police/Family Handout]