Skip to main content
Cloudy icon
79º

Mother wants answers after woman charged in death of 2-year-old left in hot car

MIAMI – Authorities have charged a woman in the death of a child who did not survive after being left in a hot car for several hours.

Court records show 43-year-old Juana Perez-Domingo went before a judge on Saturday.

She has been charged in the death of a 2-year-old child who was found dead Friday in a vehicle in Homestead.

43-year-old Juana Perez-Domingo (Miami-Dade County Corrections)

The child’s mother told Local 10 News on Saturday that the young girl’s name was Jocelyn Mendez.

She still has questions about what happened to her daughter.

According to Capt. Fernando Morales, the car found Friday afternoon parked near the intersection of Third Avenue and Campbell Drive.

Mendez’s mother said she paid Perez-Domingo $40 a week to take the child to day care.

Court documents revealed that Perez-Domingo did not have a driver’s license.

Perez-Domingo placed the child in a seat belt, not in a car seat, prosecutors said.

When she realized what happened, Perez-Domingo did not call 911, instead choosing to drive the child back to her mother’s house.

She has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. A judge granted Perez-Domingo $50,000 bond, but if released she will be placed on house arrest and is prohibited from driving any children other than her own.


About the Authors
David Dwork headshot

David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.

Joseph Ojo headshot

Joseph Ojo joined Local 10 in April 2021. Born and raised in New York City, he previously worked in Buffalo, North Dakota, Fort Myers and Baltimore.

Loading...

Recommended Videos