A man from Tulsa was arrested on Sunday after police say he left his children inside a locked truck for five hours, per Fox 23.
The news outlet reports that 31-year-old Dustin Lee Dennis is facing two counts of second degree murder after his children, who were both under the age of five, were pronounced dead at his home, an arrest report shows.
Per Fox, Dennis told police that he had driven to QuikTrip with his children around midday, before returning home.
Amelia Mugavero, a reporter for Tulsa CBS affiliate @NewsOn6 tweeted:
"#BREAKING: from TPD: -Father in custody for second degree homicide. -Kids 3 and 4, male (3) and female (4) -Kids died from being left in a hot car. -Dustin lee Dennis is the father -Officers beloved kids were left for 5 hours with temperatures reaching triple digits."
Police said that Dennis then fell asleep for between four and five hours. When he woke up, he couldn't find his children.
Per Fox 23, Dennis told police that he found his children in the floorboard of his truck. He then moved the children to the living room where they were pronounced dead by paramedics.
The children were identified as a four-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy, newson6 stated.
"A neighbor had video of Dennis leaving, then locking his truck and going inside without getting the children out," the arrest report states. "The children had not been checked on for nearly five hours during the time they were locked inside the vehicle."
KidsAndCars.org reports that more than 940 children have died in hot cars nationwide since 1990. The inside of a car traps in heat, causing temperatures to rise very quickly.
Per KJRH, Dustin Lee Dennis was booked into Tulsa County Jail and was held on a $1 million bond. As of Sunday, that amount had reportedly decreased to $750,000.
It is not thought that the children had any underlying medical conditions, KJRH reports, but the medical examiner is working to establish the cause of death.
