It is alleged that Cynthia Marie Randolph left her two-year-old daughter Juliet and 16-month-old son Cavanaugh (pictured) in the car 'as a punishment'. Photo / Go Fund Me / Police
It is alleged that Cynthia Marie Randolph left her two-year-old daughter Juliet and 16-month-old son Cavanaugh (pictured) in the car 'as a punishment'. Photo / Go Fund Me / Police
A mother has been indicted over the deaths of her two toddlers, who were locked inside a hot car.
It is alleged that Cynthia Marie Randolph left her 2-year-old daughter Juliet and 16-month-old son Cavanaugh in the car "as a punishment".
The children died of heatstroke while their mother was inside her home smoking marijuana, prosecutors believe.
Both were found dead in Weatherford, Texas, on May 26.
Randolph, 25, was charged with two counts of first-degree injury to a child causing serious bodily injury on June 23, the Daily Mail reported.
It was revealed in June that a medical examiner ruled the young children's deaths as homicides, dying of heatstroke while they were inside the hot car on the 35C day.
Police said Randolph was trying to teach Juliet a lesson for not coming out of the car when asked. The mother allegedly went back inside to smoke pot and take a nap.
Randolph put the children in the car and then went inside the house and smoked marijuana before taking a nap for two to three hours, thinking the children would leave the car on their own when they were ready, according to police.
When the mother found the children in distress inside the car, she broke the window of the car to make it look like an accident, police said.
After extensive interviews with police, investigators determined that Randolph actually intentionally left the children in the car to teach young Juliet a lesson. Photo / Facebook
An arrest affidavit says Randolph later said her daughter refused to get out of the car so she locked both toddlers inside to teach them a lesson - thinking they'd exit on their own.
Randolph's story changed several times, investigators said. Initially, she told police that she was doing chores in the house when the children 'took off'.
In that version, she said she searched the property for some time before finding the children locked in the four-door car, which they'd presumably entered themselves and locked from the inside.
Temperatures reached 36C that day.
After extensive interviews with police, investigators determined that Randolph intentionally left the children in the car to teach young Juliet a lesson.
Parker County records show Randolph remains jailed.
Investigators didn't immediately return a message Sunday on possible upgraded charges.
