Daycare workers indicted in death of 4-year-old boy left in Brownsville hot van

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Two women accused in the death of a 4-year-old boy found inside a hot daycare van have been indicted, Cameron County court records indicate.

On Oct. 1, Karen Silva and Sendy Ruiz were formally charged with injury to a child, elderly or disabled individual with reckless serious bodily injury and mental impairment.

The women are accused in connection to the death of 4-year-old Logan Urbina, who was found inside a daycare van during the summer following a field trip, according to a previous ValleyCentral report.

The women were issued a total bond of $60,000 each, according to the indictment.

Both women have a scheduled arraignment hearing at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 10 in the 445 District Court.

^{From left: Karen Silva and Sendy Ruiz where both arrested in connection to the death of Logan Urbina, a 4-year-old boy who was left in a hot daycare van (Brownsville PD)}

Background

According to documents obtained by ValleyCentral, on June 27, the Learning Club Pre-School took the students on a field trip to Los Fresnos.

The van, which was directly controlled by Ruiz and Silva, departed from the daycare center at 8:30 a.m. The field trip had ended at approximately 11 a.m. According to the documents following the field trip, the women transported 24 children, including Logan Urbina.

Out of the 24 children who went on the field trip, 15, including Urbina, were placed in a 2018 Ford Transit Van and were brought back to the daycare after the field trip. They arrived back to the Learning Club Pre School at about 11:30 a.m.

According to the documents, at approximately 4:30 p.m., staff members from the Learning Center Pre School realized that Urbina was missing. Silva and a second witness decided to go outside and check the van, where they found Urbina, who was unresponsive.

Silva and the witness removed Urbina from the van, and another witness began to perform CPR on the child.

At approximately 4:56 p.m., Brownsville PD and EMS responded to an emergency call at The Learning Club Pre School. At the scene, authorities found Urbina's body inside a daycare van, unresponsive, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ruiz cooperated with the police and provided a statement saying that she and Silva were in charge of the van. When they came back to the daycare, they did not realize that Urbina had not gotten out of the van.

Silva refused to speak to the police without her attorney present. She was arrested on June 27 and arraigned on June 28, according to previous ValleyCentral reports.

In August, she was issued a bond of $10,000 for injury to a child causing death, a second-degree felony. Shortly after the bond hearing, Silva was transferred to ICE custody for her immigration case.

On June 30, Ruiz was taken into custody and accused of being the second person in connection with Urbina's death.