HCSO: Father arrested after infant found dead in locked car

MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office Investigators arrested a man in connection with the death of his 3-month-old infant, a release stated.

Ricardo Mata, 34, is charged with injury to a child causing death, a second degree felony.

At 3:48 p.m. on Saturday, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office responded to Mission Regional Hospital following a report of an infant found unresponsive inside a locked vehicle.

Medical personnel confirmed the child’s death.

Deputies went to a residence located at the 3200 block of John Marck Court in rural Mission, where the alleged vehicle connected to the incident was.

Investigations say that witnesses reported the child was left in the care of his father, identified as Mata.

While speaking to investigators, Mata admitted to having placed the child in the backseat of his vehicle and then gone inside the home to lie down. He further stated that he had been drinking and forgot the infant was in the car, the release added.

Mata was arrested and is booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center.

Anyone with additional information regarding this case is asked to contact the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office at (956) 383-8114 or the Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers ast (956) 668-TIPS (8477).

This case is under investigation. Investigators have requested an autopsy to be performed to determine the cause of death of the child.

This is the second child death investigation involving a vehicle reported by ValleyCentral in the past three days.