Mom accused of leaving child in car at Walmart with temps reaching nearly 115 degrees inside
The child’s mother, Jessica Salazar, was arrested and booked on child neglect and endangerment charges. (Source: Arizona’s Family)
By Lauren Kobley and Jordan Gartner
SURPRISE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — A woman is behind bars after allegedly leaving her child in a hot car over the weekend.
According to the Surprise Police Department, officers responded to a Walmart located near Greenway and Reems roads for a welfare check on Sunday.
The department said 911 received calls about a child who was left alone in a car that was not running.
When crews arrived at the scene, they said the child was clearly distressed.
First responders said they had to force their way into the car to rescue the child as the vehicle’s interior was found to be about 114 degrees.
The child’s mother, Jessica Salazar, was arrested and booked on child neglect and endangerment charges. Police said the child is expected to be OK following the ordeal.
“The Surprise Police Department reminds the community that leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, even for a short time, can have life-threatening consequences,” Sgt. Rick Hernandez said.
Copyright 2025 KPHO via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Florida Mom Arrested After Kids Found ‘Drenched in Sweat’ in Trunk of Hot Car as She Was Shopping
Ciera Washington, 29, allegedly said she was buying household products at Walmart and got held up in line. She now faces three counts of child neglect
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Chris Spargo is a senior reporter at PEOPLE who joined the crime team in 2025. Chris is an Emmy-winning journalist who previously worked at Inside Edition and Daily Mail.
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NEED TO KNOW
- Ciera Washington, 29, allegedly left her three children in the car while she went shopping at Walmart, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE
- The young children were found “drenched in sweat” in the trunk, and the two youngest “had full diapers and feces on their legs,” per the complaint
- Washington allegedly told police she left both the car and air conditioner on while she ran inside, and gave her oldest child the keys
A Florida mother is charged with multiple counts of child neglect after her children were discovered unattended in a hot car.
Ciera Washington, 29, is accused of leaving her three young children behind on Sept. 14 while she and a friend went shopping at a Walmart in Sunrise, a city located approximately 10 miles west of Fort Lauderdale.
The children were spotted by a passerby who heard a “faint” knocking from inside the trunk of the car as they walked by at approximately 3:30 p.m., according to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
“When he looked inside the back seat of the vehicle, he noticed two empty car seats, and a child’s foot sticking out of the opening of the back seat that led to the trunk of the vehicle,” the complaint states.
That man and another eyewitness then gained access to the car and found the three children in the trunk of the vehicle, which the complaint alleges was turned off with all the windows rolled up.
The children were “drenched in sweat and hot” and the two youngest “had full diapers and feces on their legs,” the complaint states.
Once the children had been removed and law enforcement called, the passerby took the oldest child into the store in order to locate her mother.
Officers with the Sunrise Police Department arrived on the scene soon after and, after reviewing surveillance footage, alleged that Washington had been in the store for 39 minutes while her children were in the vehicle.
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The complaint states that Washington told officers she had left her oldest child in the car with the keys in the ignition and the air conditioner on while she ran inside to purchase household products with a friend.
The passerby also told police that the oldest child did have the car keys with her in the car.
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Washington allegedly admitted to making a mistake while speaking with the officers, and said that she would have been quicker had there not been such long lines inside the store, per the affidavit.
She was booked into Broward County Jail on three charges of child neglect without causing great bodily harm on that same day but has since posted bail and been released, a spokesperson for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office tells PEOPLE.
Sebastian woman accused of leaving kids in hot car while shoplifting at Walmart
A arrest affidavit against the woman says, the Loss Prevention Associate (LPA) observed the woman walking to the self-checkout where she was seen scanning the items without the correct barcodes. The woman, identified as Katherine Gordon, then walked past all points of sale without any attempt to pay full price for the items. (IRCSO)
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- Hot car
- Shoplifting
- Walmart
- Child neglect
- Sebastian Police
- Katherine Gordon
- Grocery items
- Arrest affidavit
SEBASTIAN, Fla. (CBS12) — A woman is accused of leaving two kids in a hot car while she stole over $80 worth of groceries from a Walmart.
On Thursday, the Sebastian Police Department responded to the Walmart, located at 2001 US-1, after receiving reports of a woman who was accused of replacing the barcodes on grocery items.
An arrest affidavit against the woman says the Loss Prevention Associate (LPA) observed the woman walking to the self-checkout where she was seen scanning the items without the correct barcodes. The woman, identified as Katherine Gordon, then walked past all points of sale without any attempt to pay full price for the items.
Police say the merchandise recovered during the incident totaled $83.67.
Sebastian Police arrested Gordon outside Walmart, but she refused to speak with officers at the scene. The LPA at the scene told the investigating officer that he had mentioned children being inside of her vehicle. When officers went to her vehicle they found two children sitting inside the vehicle with the windows rolled up, allowing no airflow into the vehicle.
See also: Police nab nurse after patient’s mother grew suspicious
In the arrest affidavit, it was noted that the weather channel said it was approximately 82 to 85 degrees outside between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
When officers opened the vehicle they felt a rush of heavy heat coming from the vehicle and heavy moisture on the interior of all the windows. Police say, the moisture on the windows is caused by no airflow and a build-up of carbon monoxide. The arrest affidavit against Gordon says the kids appeared to be sweating profusely.
The arrest report says, EMS checked the kid’s vitals and determined they were normal. When officers asked Gordon why she left the kids in the hot car she said, “she did not think it was a problem leaving the juveniles in the vehicle as long as it was not running, further adding that the juvenile’s parents do it all the time.” It’s unclear what the relationship was between Gordan and the two children.
Gordon was taken to the Indian River County Jail and booked on counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and second-degree petit theft.
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Walmart shopper caught using ‘banana trick’ to steal at self-checkout – then security made disturbing discovery in car
She’s not the only Walmart shopper who has been accused of using sinister methods to steal at self-checkout recently
Charlotte Maracina , Freelance News Reporter
Walmart shopper caught using ‘banana trick’ to steal at self-checkout – then security made disturbing discovery in carPauseUnmuteFullscreenClose
A WOMAN has been arrested for allegedly using a sick trick to steal at Walmart but cops made an even more disturbing discovery when they looked in her car.
The shopper was being arrested at the store when she made a statement that caused police to rush over to her vehicle.
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A Walmart Loss Prevention Associate caught Katherine Gordon allegedly using the “banana trick” to steal $83 worth of groceries, local CBS affiliate WPEC reported.
Gordon allegedly went around the produce section, replacing barcodes on certain items to make her purchase cheaper.
The woman then went to self-checkout and avoided paying full price for her items, cops say.
Sebastian police arrested the Florida woman as she was walking out of the store.
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Cops reported Gordon mentioned having two children in her car as police took her into custody.
Officers wrote in the arrest affidavit that they found two children sitting in her hot vehicle with the windows rolled up, preventing airflow from entering the car.
The affidavit noted the kids were found between 5 pm and 6 pm, and the temperature was around 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Police reported feeling a rush of heavy heat coming from the car when they opened the door.
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They also noted heavy moisture inside, which is a sign of carbon monoxide build-up.
When the kids were taken from the vehicle, officers said they were sweating heavily.
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EMS noted the children’s vitals were normal after cops rescued them from the hot car.
“She did not think it was a problem leaving the juveniles in the vehicle as long as it was not running, further adding that the juvenile’s parents do it all the time,” cops wrote in arrest documents.
Gordon did not explain her relationship with the children.
She was booked at jail on counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and second-degree petit theft.
RECENT ARRESTS
Walmart shoppers have been under fire lately for a slew of self-checkout shoplifting-related arrests.
Customer Ashley Cross was caught on security cameras allegedly using an old watch battery barcode to scan expensive products for just $1.
Cops said Cross was caught stealing a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, some boots, and 11 packs of ramen noodles from a Walmart in Tennessee.
The items totaled $137, but she paid just $1.
Investigators discovered the thief had a long history of shoplifting from various stores.
Walmart shoplifting arrests
- Ashley Cross was caught on security cameras using an old watch battery barcode to scan expensive products for just $1
- Ex-officer Mark Leenerts stole $317.88 worth of merchandise from Walmart stores in Topeka, Kansas
- Jeremiah Boyer raked in $52,800 in fees on 874 orders while working for Walmart’s online delivery service Spark
- Brent Adam Brooks, of Sylva, North Carolina, was arrested after trying to steal a $198 Frigidaire ice maker
- Kabreshia Caldwell targeted innocent senior citizen customers at Walmart stores across Northeast Florida, stealing a total of $10,000
- Katherine Gordon allegedly stole $80 worth of groceries by replacing barcodes on certain produce items
The arrest led to Cross being banned from every Walmart nationwide.
“We value our customers and associates and want them to have a pleasant shopping experience,” Walmart said in a statement.
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“Though rare, there are instances when someone is no longer welcome in our stores.”
Cross has been charged with criminal trespass and theft of merchandise.
