5-Year-Old Theo Sabo Dies After Being Found Unconscious in Hot Family Car

A 5-year-old Arizona boy died after being found unconscious inside his family’s car, where he had apparently remained for more than two and a half hours as temperatures climbed above 100 degrees.

Theo Sabo was found unresponsive in the family vehicle after his family returned home from a baptism and began hosting a gathering of roughly 50 friends and relatives at their Peoria home.

Temperatures in the area reached approximately 105–106°F (40–41°C) that day. More than two and a half hours after the family arrived home, relatives realized Theo was missing and discovered him inside the vehicle.

Family members performed CPR before emergency responders transported the boy to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office had not yet publicly released Theo’s official cause of death at the time of the latest reports.

Theo’s parents, Mihail Sabo and Anca Sabo, have both been charged with negligent homicide and child abuse in connection with his death. The allegations remain pending in court, and the couple are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Court records cited by media outlets contain conflicting accounts about what happened after the family returned from the baptism. Mihail reportedly told police that he had asked his 14-year-old son to take Theo out of the vehicle.

The teenager, however, reportedly told investigators that he did not remember being asked to remove his younger brother from the car. Because the accounts differ, the exchange remains a disputed point in the case rather than an established fact.

During court proceedings, the family’s attorney characterized the incident as a tragic miscommunication and argued that the parents did not intentionally leave Theo in the vehicle. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have emphasized that the child remained in the car for more than two and a half hours while his parents were unaware of where he was.

Both parents were granted $150,000 bonds and ordered not to have contact with one another. They are nevertheless permitted to have supervised visits with their other children.

The couple is expected to return to court later this month as the criminal case moves forward. Their son’s death has left the family and community mourning while investigators and prosecutors continue examining how the tragedy occurred.

Source: News24