A baby who died after he was left in a hot car too long had a body temperature of 107 degrees, according to a Medical Examiner’s report obtained by NBC 7.
Police said 4-month-old Giovanni Soto died on July 27 after sitting 15 hours in a car outside his family’s apartment complex in El Cajon.
The ME report revealed that “many stories were being told to investigating officers” surrounding Giovanni’s death, which made the investigation more challenging.
Investigators said the baby’s mother, Jessica Quezada, insisted that her son had been taken out of the car the night before he died and brought into the family’s apartment.
However, that statement conflicted with evidence and witnesses who said Giovanni was mistakenly left in the car overnight and died from overheating the next day, before family members realized he was in the sweltering vehicle.
An ME investigator noted in the report that Quezada “could not tell me how or why her son” was put back in the car and left there until the morning of July 27.
According to the report, the most consistent story was that the child’s father, Israel Soto, left him in the car after a trip to the grocery store.
Both Israel Soto and Jessica Quezada have pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges against them.
The couple’s other children -- ages 1, 2 and 3 -- were taken into child protective custody.
If convicted, Soto faces 12 years in prison. Quezada faces 12 years and 8 months for an additional drug charge. As of today, they remain free on $100,000 bail.
