CASTLE ROCK — If you had ever met 5-year-old Jasmine and 2-year-old Nathan, their mother says, you would have fallen in the love with them.
“Jasmine, she always wanted to be in charge,” Stacey Mendieta said. “Nathan, my baby, big little boy. He had the biggest smile.”
On Aug. 20, 2008, Mendieta says, she was taking a nap with Nathan inside her home.
She didn’t hear Jasmine wake him up and both children leave through the back door.
Mendieta says what happened next was an accident and she will never forgive herself for it.
“They’ve never left the house on their own, never tried getting in the car on their own. It doesn’t make any sense and I’ll never understand. Some days, it’s so hard to believe, it’s still so fresh, like it was yesterday.”
The children got into her parked car. Investigators believe the two fell asleep and ultimately died from the extreme heat.
On Sept. 3, Mendieta pleaded no contest to child abuse. In exchange, prosecutors agreed not to seek prison time. She was sentenced to 300 hours of community service.
Right after their deaths, Mendieta created the JENA project. JENA stands for Jasmine Elizabeth and Nathan Alexander. Anywhere she can, she gives presentations about child safety in cars.
“A car is hot, it’s not a playground; it’s not a hide-and-go-seek hiding place,” she said.
