The children’s mother, Racquel Thompson, told police she left the children alone on Monday night while she and her boyfriend went to pick up takeout and to the pharmacy, ABC 13 reported.
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Police believe the victim, 19-month-old J’Zyra Thompson, and her siblings were unsupervised at the time.
Eyewitness News cites records it obtained from Child Protective Services that Raquel told investigators she often leaves the children alone at home to drive her boyfriend to work at a pizza place. CPS interviewed the three older children and one three-year-old said one of them put the baby in the oven and the other three-year-old “made the oven hot”.
J’Zyra, they said, kicked the oven door while she was trapped inside.
A TODDLER has burned to death in an oven while playing with her young siblings after their mother left them home alone, police said.
Thompson tried CPR when she got home but it was too late.
“She was a sweet baby”, Dennis told Click2Houston. “This is unexplainable. I have no words”, she said.
The child’s mother and her boyfriend were taken in for questioning. Emergency responders arrived shortly after midnight, but there was nothing they could do to save J’zyra Thompson. Because of lack of a suitable relative to take care of the kids now, the three surviving children were placed in a foster care home. The mother is also 7-months-pregnant and has an older child who lives with his father. At last check, authorities have not filed any charges, but she was expected in court for the custody hearing.
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A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay for J’zyra’s funeral costs.
