Mother Arrested After Child Is Left in Van

A woman who allegedly left her 2-year-old daughter unattended in a locked and sweltering minivan was arrested on suspicion of child abuse Tuesday, and her six children were placed in protective custody, West Covina police said.

A passerby called 911 about 3:30 p.m. to report a child sweating and crying in the van outside a pet store in the 1000 block of West Covina Parkway. Police arrested Dao Nguyen, 35, of Rosemead, who was in the store with her other five children.

The girl had been in the van for about 20 minutes and was hot to the touch, according to Det. Rudy Lopez. She had wriggled free of the car seat and was found on the floor, he said. She was treated at Queen of the Valley hospital for dehydration and an elevated pulse.

Police said Nguyen had parked the minivan in the sun and left its windows rolled up. According to the National Weather Service, the temperature reached 94 degrees Tuesday in West Covina.

“What happened is child abuse,” Lopez said. “If it hadn’t been for a passerby, we don’t know how long it would have been before she came out. It could have been as disastrous as what happened in Lancaster.”

Last week, two children died of heat exposure when they were left in a parked SUV for five hours outside a Lancaster child-care center. Their foster mother was arrested on suspicion of causing great bodily harm.

Nguyen was held in lieu of $100,000 bond. Her children -- three boys ages 14, 10 and 5 and the girls ages 8, 2 and 11 months -- were taken into protective custody by the county’s Department of Children and Family Services.