The parents of an infant who died after being left in a hot car appeared in court Tuesday.
Israel Soto, 30, and Jessica Quezada, 23, pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges.
Police said 4-month-old Giovanni Soto died July 27, after being left inside a car for 15 hours outside the family’s apartment complex in El Cajon.
“They had ample reason to find that the baby was missing since they slept in the same bed,” prosecutor Carlos Campbell said.
Prosecutors said the baby had an internal temperature of 107 degrees. The medical examiner’s office has not released the official cause of death.
The couple’s other children-- ages 1, 2 and 3-- were taken into child protective custody. Campbell said the three children also had scabies.
If convicted, Soto faces 12 years in prison. Quezada faces 12 years and 8 months for an additional drug charge.
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The parents remain free on $100,000 bail. A readiness conference is set for August 23, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 24.
