Elizabeth Cuesta Bakes the Baby in a Truck at PetSmart

[ineedanap]

[I]WEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police have arrested the mother of an 18-month-old boy who died after she allegedly left him in the back seat of her pickup truck for six hours.

Miami-Dade Police have charged Elizabeth Cuesta with aggravated manslaughter with culpable negligence after she left her son, Diego Vega in her car Thursday afternoon at a strip mall.

According to reports, Cuesta may have told police she believed she dropped off Vega at daycare before heading to her job at a pet hospital on Flagler Street and Northwest 87th Avenue.

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI121492/

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/19537462/detail.html

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1060953.html

http://cbs4.com/local/west.miami.dade.2.1016560.html

The mother went to work around 9am; the kid was found at 3pm. It was 88 degrees in Miami yesterday. What a horrible death to suffer.

RIP sweet Diego Vega.

[Peeperann]

I don't care what anyone believes. No matter how scattered you are, there is no way you cannot be sure you dropped your baby off at daycare!! You have to get out of the car, take them in, give them to a worker and leave the diaper bag!!

Stupid F'ing Cunt!! You murdered your baby!! You knew he was in there!! There is no way to forget that!!

I get so completely infuriated when they say they "forgot".

I would so love to take a crowbar to her head!!!

[ineedanap]

Banfield Pet Hospital (located inside the PetSmart) put out the following statement:

"On Thursday, May 21, 2009 we were made aware of a tragic incident that occurred in the parking lot outside of our Miami hospital located at 8241 West Flagler Street. We are devastated by the news that a young child passed away while left unattended in a parked car. We are in the process of gathering additional information and are working with local authorities as they handle the situation.

Grief counselors are available to help our hospital associates cope with this difficult news. We ask that the media respect the grieving process and refrain from speaking with our associates directly. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family and those affected by this tragedy.

As a result of this incident, the hospital will be closed until further notice.

http://cbs4.com/local/west.miami.dade.2.1016560.html

What a thoughtful and sensitive company. It must really be hitting the co-workers hard too.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

"It was an accident. The mother was working and then just realized that the kid was there. When she went to lunch, and then I don't want to say nothing because we don't know," said family friend Roberto Espinosa.:eek: I hope she just walked to someplace in the strip mall for lunch. Otherwise it is too awful. An 18-month-old should have been in a front-facing center rear seat. How could you miss that if you got back into the truck at lunch?

[coffee achiever]

:eek: I hope she just walked to someplace in the strip mall for lunch. Otherwise it is too awful. An 18-month-old should have been in a front-facing center rear seat. How could you miss that if you got back into the truck at lunch?

My 22 month old is still rear facing. I have a mirror attached to the headrest of the seat, so that I can see her face when I look in the rear-view, but if I didn't have that, and she was asleep, I could easily miss that she was back there.

Assuming, of course, that I was stupid enough to somehow forget to take her to daycare that morning, and then to forget that I had forgotten.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

While it is safer to be rear-facing, many parents have their child front facing at that age.

There is a discussion in General Topics here titled "babies in hot cars". http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17410

It includes a link to an article titled "Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a child in the back seat of a hot, parked car is a horrifying, inexcusable mistake. But is it a crime?" It explains exactly how a loving parent could forget. It's your brain... a biology that you have no control over. Not every case of a baby left in a car is a case of "fatal distraction" but there are steps that can be taken to avoid it. It's a long article but well worth the read with an open mind... even if you disregard the thread.

I don't know what happened in this case but I do have concerns that she went to lunch... did she take the truck? I'd like to know about her history, too.

[Amazon]

Yes, it was that hot here.
I'm rather scatterbrained myself... I might leave my lighter in the car, maybe my sun hat.
But i am QUITE SURE I would never leave a baby in the car.
Doesn't everyone turn around to make sure they have grabbed everything they need? Or is that just the smart people I know?

[ineedanap]

When dd was a baby, I sat my purse on the floor of the car in front of her seat. I had to open the back van door to retrieve my purse. I don't leave it in the car ever, and, thankfully, I never left my kid in the car, either. I was extremely paranoid about it. Now that she's 3, well, she's just a chatty Cathy, I don't even listen to the radio when she's in the car!

[silvahalo68]

Elizabeth Cuesta (http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI121492/)
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s341/silvahalo68/Perp/090522_Elizabeth_Cuesta.jpghttp://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s341/silvahalo68/Perp/truck.jpg
Around 3 p.m., the father of the child arrived at Cuesta's place of work and noticed the baby in the backseat of her truck. "The father of the child arrived to meet the mother here at the store. He noticed the baby in the back seat, unresponsive," said Miami-Dade Police Detective Roy Rutland.

The child's father notified police, but it was too late. Paramedics arrived on scene and placed the boy's body in an ambulance, as police taped-off the truck. "The family members came over, and they started to hug and everything but it was too late already," said the woman, who witnessed the tragedy unfold.
[...]
Hundreds of children die every year in hot, parked cars. In 2004, a Boca Raton dentist accidentally left his 3-year-old son in a sweltering sport utility vehicle. In 2007, a 2-year-old girl made it out alive after spending 30 minutes in a hot car in Miami. In 2008, a Miami Beach doctor was accused of leaving his 8-month-old in the car while tending to a patient; the child survived.
I'm so dreading this Summer. I know the death toll on children "forgotten" in hot cars is going to be bad. Everything has gotten so bad, I don't see how this will be any different.

This mother should be subject to sit in a hot car for at least 1hour...at least. The heat won't kill her, but the reality of what she did just might put her over. The father...I feel so terrible for him. What a horrific moment to find his son that way.

Rest in peace sweet baby Diego. My heart breaks thinking what your last agonizing moments were like.

[Peeperann]

While it is safer to be rear-facing, many parents have their child front facing at that age.

There is a discussion in General Topics here titled "babies in hot cars". http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17410

It includes a link to an article titled "Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a child in the back seat of a hot, parked car is a horrifying, inexcusable mistake. But is it a crime?" It explains exactly how a loving parent could forget. It's your brain... a biology that you have no control over. Not every case of a baby left in a car is a case of "fatal distraction" but there are steps that can be taken to avoid it. It's a long article but well worth the read with an open mind... even if you disregard the thread.

I don't know what happened in this case but I do have concerns that she went to lunch... did she take the truck? I'd like to know about her history, too.

I read that thread Dakota, but I firmly disagree with it. I don't care what it says. It's a child, a real live child, I believe it's stupid to even consider that article. I cannot wrap my brain around the fact it could be biological to forget your child.........

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The brain works in many mysterious and as yet not understood ways. It is a proven fact that it does things without your permission. You can choose not to believe it but that does not change the science. It's like the twisted thinking mental illness causes, I don't understand how it works, but have seen enough proof that it does... despite it making no sense.

[goddess]

I don't care what anyone believes. No matter how scattered you are, there is no way you cannot be sure you dropped your baby off at daycare!! You have to get out of the car, take them in, give them to a worker and leave the diaper bag!!

Stupid F'ing Cunt!! You murdered your baby!! You knew he was in there!! There is no way to forget that!!

I get so completely infuriated when they say they "forgot".

I would so love to take a crowbar to her head!!!




you said it all!!!p.o.s mom

[silvahalo68]

The brain works in many mysterious and as yet not understood ways. It is a proven fact that it does things without your permission. You can choose not to believe it but that does not change the science. It's like the twisted thinking mental illness causes, I don't understand how it works, but have seen enough proof that it does... despite it making no sense.

And that is why we are yet to understand why some people leave their child in car due to "forgetting", while countless others would not, could not do so. Science is not infallible. And that study is just that. It is not the bible how memory works, its a study backed by science but not an all sweeping assessment on how memory may or may not work. I do not want to live in blissful ignorance so I will wait and read as more information comes out reaffirming or discounting what science has said. What is considered truth and fact today, may be interesting journal notes later. The WHY on how this happens, can happen, and why it doesn't in other cases is most intriguing.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The fact it is, this DOES happen. People forget their kids. I do not know the particulars of this case because there is much not said. But in the cases where more info is known, it was, I believe, a tragic accident. Preventable, as most accidents are, but how many of you parents say "It will never happen to me" but take NO precautions to prevent it (such as alarms, or strings, or even keeping a stuffed toy in you lap?)

They do know the conditions that it occurs. Without reading the article or similar ones, how many can name those situations? Knowing what I now know, I would have always taken precautions when my children were young. It has changed how I treat my grandkids in the car.

You can discount the science all you want. But it's your child's life you are placing that faith of "It won't happen to me".

[silvahalo68]

The fact it is, this DOES happen. People forget their kids. I do not know the particulars of this case because there is much not said. But in the cases where more info is known, it was, I believe, a tragic accident. Preventable, as most accidents are, but how many of you parents say "It will never happen to me" but take NO precautions to prevent it (such as alarms, or strings, or even keeping a stuffed toy in you lap?)

They do know the conditions that it occurs. Without reading the article or similar ones, how many can name those situations? Knowing what I now know, I would have always taken precautions when my children were young. It has changed how I treat my grandkids in the car.

You can discount the science all you want. But it's your child's life you are placing that faith of "It won't happen to me".

I'm not discounting the science just pointing out that we do not know all there is to know yet. If shit goes down and I'm involved in something like this, as I already said, something seriously would have to be wrong with my faculties, seriously...not the "oops" I forgot shit.....I'm sure you'd FP me and make it sound all pretty like with science and all. I'll take my faith Dakota. I know what I know and my children's lives won't be at risk for it.

Thanks anyhow for pointing out what we have already debated at end. I will agree to disagree with you.

[buggysmommy]

I leave my visor down and open to the mirror always when my Buggy in the car. It gets in my way-so I am forced to look in the mirror. Not that I feel like I could forget-but shit sometimes I get in the car and be 10 miles down the road and realize I am singing "The Wheels on the Bus" with her cd blaring-and she isn't even in there. I have even driven towards her old daycare a couple of times when getting off work to get her...

Sometimes shit intertwines-but after readng so many of these stories, somewhere in the back of my mind I always think to open the back door and just look before I go into work or anywhere else for that matter. I don't want to be FP'd for something like this-ever.

[thebooblady]

When I was working the routine of who was taking the kids to and from daycare varied, even which kids were being picked up. One day, I had my boyfriend picking up my older two from daycare and he forgot, so I drive out there extremely ticked at my bf, and the daycare workers said they already left. After almost panicking I remembered me and their dad switched days that week and he had them. I know that's not the same as forgetting a child in a car, but still..I can see how it would happen when you are busy, distracted, and/or there is a variation in the normal routine.

[sanityslipping]

Ok, I'll admit, I forgot to drop off my kid at the sitter's once. Well, technically I forgot to get off the highway and was almost halfway to work (I had an 45 min drive). Then it hit me, God I'm an idiot!!! so I called my department, and told them there was really bad traffic and I would be late and hauled my ass to the sitters.

I also tried to get off the exit for her old sitter a few times after we switched, and drove to the sitters house to pick her up, when her dad had already told me he had gotten her, and the sitter had sent a text.

I have never forgotten my daughter being in the car while I was not in it though. Hell, I habitually check her seat when ever I drive and I've gone into near panic when I look at the backseat and she's not in her carseat, only to realize a second later, hey I didn't take her with me today.

Point being, I see how it could have slipped her mind for a minute, but all day?

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Point being, I see how it could have slipped her mind for a minute, but all day?
I can see forgetting it all day better than I can see forgetting it when you get out of the car. Once you get past that point, most people at work don't have their kid around and it is the "norm" to be at the sitters. So you would "think" that is where they are.

I am glad to see many folks take precautions such as "reminders" like visors or automatically checking the back seat. It is sad that more don't. I don't think most folks do. Under normal circumstances, it isn't needed.... bu no one can be 100% sure when the "not normal" is going to strike.

I have never had a sitter that didn't call if the kid didn't show up because I forgot to tell them of other plans or that we were sick. Just that simple step would have helped.

[silvahalo68]

An obviously grieve stricken mother. I do not doubt she is horrified over what happened. My sympathies to the family.
"The mother came out from PetSmart screaming, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' and the father was on the floor already, crying. They were doing mouth-to-mouth to try to bring him up alive again and nothing happened," said a woman who didn't want to be identified.
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s341/silvahalo68/Perp/090522_mother_leaves_toddler_in_car.jpg

Very tragic. I'd like to know more details on when she went to lunch. I'm assuming lunch in the mall and not going to her truck, 'cause how could she not see him then? Forgetting him for 6 minutes is one thing.....6 hours, I just don't get how that could happen. Apparently it does. Such a senseless death. Rest in peace baby Diego.

Toddler dies (http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI121464/)