A girl and boy found dead in a hot car in Castle Pines North earlier this month became the 32nd and 33rd victims to die of hyperthermia in cars this year in the United States, authorities say.
The bodies of Jasmine and Nathan Mendieta, 5 and 2 respectively, were found inside a Honda Civic on Aug. 20 at 983 Bramblewood Drive, less than two hours after the outside temperature reached 89.
The Douglas County coroner’s office determined the children died of hyperthermia, Cocha Heyden, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said Friday.
With a temperature of about 90 degrees, the temperature in a car with windows rolled up climbs to about 109 degrees in about 10 minutes, according to experts. After about 20 minutes, it’s a blistering 119 degrees, and in 30 minutes, it hits a deadly 124 degrees.
“It’s possible, even after a very short period of time, that temperatures around 110 could be lethal temperatures for a small infant or child,” said Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University.
Null, a meteorologist, has been tracking and studying “vehicle hyperthermia” in the United States since 2001.
Temperatures of about 104 degrees are enough to start causing problems quickly, especially with children.
“It’s certainly warm enough for heat stroke — 104 — that’s when your body starts shutting down,” Null said. “You stop sweating, and that’s how people cool themselves.
“Infants and small children, their bodies heat up significantly faster.”
The high temperature in Denver on the day the children were found was 89 degrees at 1:47 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Douglas County authorities were called to the home about 3:15 p.m., Heyden said.
An average of 36 children die of hyperthermia every year in the country, said Janette Fennell, president of Kids .
In the interest of safety, vehicles should always be locked and keys should be kept out of the reach of children, Fennell said.
Heyden said sheriff’s officials continue to investigate the case. No arrests have been made. The children were under the supervision of their mother, Stacey Mendieta, 28, when they were found in the car.
Mendieta moved to the Castle Pines home of her parents when she separated from her husband in February.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
