BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A southwest Bexar County husband and wife are facing criminal charges after their 15-month-old daughter died in a hot car.
Shevetta and Aaron Combs, both 27, were arrested Thursday night on a charge of injury to a child.
This was several hours after their 15-month-old daughter, Ari’Yanna, was found dead in the back seat of their car, parked in the driveway of their home on Parish Divide.
“The two parents, admittedly, were kind of in their own world,” Sheriff Javier Salazar told news crews Friday morning. “Had they simply just looked in the back seat or done what they needed to do to get the child out of that situation, there was plenty of ample opportunity.”
Salazar said the child had been left in the car for about two hours, enough time for the temperature inside the vehicle to reach about 150 degrees.
He said the couple had returned home after picking up two older children from school.
Video from the neighborhood, Salazar said, showed the family getting out of the car without the baby. He said after feeding the other children, the mother took a nap while her husband played video games.
“Unbeknownst to either of them, neither of them had taken steps to take the baby out of the car,” Salazar said.
This is the third death locally within the past month of a child left inside a hot car.
The other cases, one in San Antonio and one in Atascosa County, so far have not resulted in any charges being filed against the parents.
Salazar said in this latest case, the decision to pursue charges was based on evidence found inside the home and interviews with the parents.
He said Shavetta Combs admitted that in “the days prior,” she had used CBD — a substance that is not illegal in Texas — and to drinking alcohol at some point the previous day.
However, Salazar did not mention either parent using any substance on the day of the child’s death.
Danielle Chaput, who lives across the street from the couple, said she finds the criminal charges shocking.
“They loved that baby,” she said. “That baby was their whole world. All their children were.”
Chaput said she has talked to the parents on numerous occasions and observed them playing with their children in the front yard.
“They love their kids,” she reiterated. “Their kids are their first priority.”
Meanwhile, Chaput and others are holding their own children closer to them and taking steps to keep them safe.
“I’m always very particular,” Chaput said. “I leave my stuff in the back (of the car), so I have to grab them and then that, I see (the children).”
Sheena Marata counts on her children to keep her on her toes.
“I always make sure to let them know, like, you better knock, like, ‘Hey, mommy, I’m here,” Marata said.
Marcia Cabrera with Safe Kids San Antonio, led by University Health, said a good rule of thumb is for parents to place items they need, such as a purse or cellphone, in the back seat with the child. That way when they retrieve the items, they won’t forget the child.
When possible, Cabrera said, teamwork is also a good plan, especially when there are multiple children in the car.
For example, she said the father could be in charge of the younger child, while the mother cares for the others.
“Maybe have them unbuckle them and bring them out of the vehicle, and maybe have mom be in charge of the older children and help assist them in getting out of the vehicle,” Cabrera said.
For more tips on keeping children safe, click here.
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