Houston mom charged with murder in baby son's hot car death; grandma says it's a mistake

A Texas mother has been charged with murder in the death of her infant son who died inside a car in 100-degree heat last year.

Gabriela Elyzabeth Deras, 22, was arrested Friday and charged in the death of 2-month-old Ethan Rosa Deras on Aug. 8, 2023, according to the Houston Police Department.

Officers found the child unresponsive at the Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual Developmental Clinic in Houston, the department said in a news release Monday. Police later learned that Ethan was left in the vehicle "for some time before he was discovered." Paramedics took the infant to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In April, an autopsy ruled that Ethan's manner of death was a homicide, leading to Deras' arrest and murder charge, police said.

Infant's grandmother says Deras 'loved her son with her entire soul'

Deras’ mother, Leonela Deras, told KTRK-TV that the family is devasted about Ethan’s death, and are confused and hurting about the recent developments, saying that her daughter had schizophrenia, post-partem depression and could be forgetful.

She told the station that her daughter never would have intentionally killed her son.

"She loved her son with her entire soul," she told the station in Spanish, adding that losing him was like losing her own life.

Mother reportedly had mental illness or an intellectual disability

At a probable cause court hearing, a hearing officer revealed officials determined Deras has a mental illness or an intellectual disability, according to local station KTRK-TV.

A $50,000 bond has been set for Deras, who is prohibited from visiting any child unsupervised and taking any non-prescription medication, the station reported.

USA TODAY was unable to confirm whether Deras, who was booked into the Harris County Jail, has been assigned an attorney yet.

Arizona dad also facing murder charge in hot car death

Christopher Scholtes, a father from Marana, Arizona, was charged with first-degree murder in the hot car death of his 2-year-old daughter last month. The 37-year-old is accused of leaving his daughter Parker alone in his car triple-digit temperatures for hours on July 9 while he was putting groceries away and playing video games.

Scholtes left the car running with air conditioning and "wanted her to remain in the vehicle while she slept," he told police, according to court documents. However documents say the A/C system automatically shuts off after 30 minutes, something Scholtes knew. USA TODAY has been unable to reach his attorney.

Socioeconomic disparities exist in hot car death prosecutions

Previous USA TODAY reporting found that the prosecution of hot car deaths varies wildly depending on the police agency and other factors. A parent in Houston, for instance, may be charged with murder for accidentally leaving their toddler in a hot car while a parent in another city may never even be arrested.

The prosecution of such cases often seems arbitrary, Amber Rollins, director of Kids and Car Safety, previously told USA TODAY.

"There are definitely disparities, seemingly both racial and socioeconomic," she said in 2022. "If Mom lives in a trailer park she's probably more likely to be charged than if she lives in a million-dollar home ... Maybe that's because the mom in the trailer park didn't have an attorney show up at the station before she did or maybe it's just because she lived in a trailer park."

Kids and Car Safety has worked to spread awareness about the dangers of hot car deaths and warn parents that it can happen to even the most loving mom or dad.

Hot car death prevention tips

Experts and advocate groups encourage caregivers and parents to follow precautions and safety advisories to prevent a tragic heat accident, even if they believe it could never happen to them:

• Place a visual cue, such as the child's diaper bag or another item, in the front passenger seat to show that the child is with you.
• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even if you think it's just for a minute.
• Make it a routine or habit of checking the back seat and door every time you park. To enforce this, place an item you can’t start your day without in the back seat, like your purse.
• Keep vehicles locked at all times, especially when parked, to prevent toddlers from entering on their own.
• Never leave keys within reach of children.
• Ask your childcare provider to call you right away if your child hasn’t arrived as scheduled. 

Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers and Amaris Encinas