A New Mexico family left their 1-year-old son in the care of a relative on May 25, 2025, never thinking that would be the last time they saw him alive. Tragically, someone left the baby inside a vehicle at some point during the day, and the soaring Albuquerque heat caused unbearable conditions. Both loved ones and emergency responders attempted life-saving measures, but they could not revive the baby.
Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos explained the case during a news conference on May 26. Gallegos said the baby’s parents left him in the care of a male relative around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. It’s unclear when or how the 1-year-old got into the relative’s vehicle, but the family discovered his body after 5 p.m., when his parents called to check on him.
“Family members may have started CPR, but Albuquerque Fire Rescue took over. They tried for a long time to revive the child. Unfortunately, the child died at the scene,” Gallegos said.
Gallegos did not give an official cause of death pending autopsy results, but it appears heat played a significant role in the baby’s death.
“I know the family was really devastated at the scene,” Gallegos explained. “It was a pretty large and extended family. So I ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers and be respectful of what they’re going through right now.”
According to AccuWeather, temperatures reached 85 degrees Fahrenheit in Albuquerque on May 25. Valencia County Fire Chief Matt Propp told KAOT that temperatures outside don’t have to be extremely high to make someone very sick or even cause death.
“The problem is in the vehicle, even 80 degrees outside, within 15 minutes, can be 100 degrees inside the vehicle. Within 30 minutes, it’s 110. Within 60 minutes, it’s 120,” Propp said. “A lot of times, people jump to the conclusion that a parent left a child in the vehicle. What we see a lot of times is, it’s somebody who’s not accustomed to having a child with them. It’s a family member; it’s a caretaker, a friend that maybe picked them up.”
Gallegos said prosecutors decided not to press charges “at this point” while the case remains under investigation. He said the autopsy will be key in determining the outcome. Gallegos warned all adults caring for children to be vigilant about checking the backseat before exiting the car.
“It doesn’t have to be that hot outside for it to be deadly,” he said. “Being in a hot truck with the windows up can get extremely hot after just a little bit of time.”
