Toddler Found Dead In Stolen Car In Houston After Father Shot Dead

The Houston Police Department on Wednesday said a suspect has been arrested and charged in the murder of a father and his 2-year-old son, who was found dead in the backseat of a stolen SUV.

Police didn't disclose the name of the suspect, who was identified as a 38-year-old male.

The incident happened on Tuesday at 1:45 p.m. local time. Police responded to a shooting and discovered a 38-year-old man was fatally shot.

According to police, the victim got into an argument with a man at a shopping center. The suspect pulled out a gun and fired at the victim multiple times. Following the shooting, the suspect stole the victim's black SUV and fled.

Police officials said officers were unaware the victim's toddler was in the backseat of the vehicle until 6:36 p.m. local time when a woman contacted the police about her missing son and husband.

"We never knew about the child until she called," Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite told reporters during a press conference.

With the information provided by the woman, police were able to determine that her husband was the shooting victim.

Investigators found the stolen vehicle about 30 minutes after her call and more than 10 miles away from the crime scene.

The child was left in the locked car with the windows rolled up on a day when the temperature reached the mid-90s.

Officers broke the car windows to rescue the child.

"Sadly, it was too late. The child had passed in the car," Satterwhite said. Satterwhite said a cause of death for the toddler hasn't been determined pending an autopsy.

"It could be something like heat exhaustion, we just don't know," he said.

Police said the suspect's name and booking photo will be released once charges are filed in court.