Boy, 5, dies in blistering hot car while parents host party in family home – before dad pins blame on teen son

A FIVE-year-old boy has died after being left in a sweltering car while his parents hosted a party – and the dad shamelessly blamed his teen son. Theo Sabo was found unresponsive in the blistering hot vehicle outside his family‘s $1.1million (£800,000) home in Peoria, Arizona. Boy, 5, Theo Sabo, dies in blistering hot car while family hosts party in 100-degree heat, dad pins blame on teen son Credit: GoFundMe Boy, 5, Theo Sabo, dies in blistering hot car while family hosts party in 100-degree heat, dad pins blame on teen son Credit: GoFundMe His parents Mihail, 50, and Anca, 45, have been charged with negligent homicide and child abuse for leaving him in the car as temperatures soared to 105 degrees (40C). The family of seven returned from the baptism of another child at around 1pm on Sunday to host a party with around 50 friends and relatives. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! After more than two-and-a-half hours, they realised that Theo was missing. The boy was given CPR by family members, before the fire department rushed him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Mihail told cops that he had asked his 14-year-old son, who has not been named, to get Theo out of the car when they returned from church, per court records. The teen told police that he does not remember being asked to get his brother from the car. Police community relations officer William Kennedy said: “It appears that it was either a miscommunication between who or which family member was supposed to get the child out of the car.” During separate court hearings on Monday, Anca clutched her chest and sobbed while Mihail kept quiet with his head down. Most read in The Sun Mihail Sabo appeared dishevelled and kept his head down a court appearance Credit: Maricopa County Superior Court His wife, Anca, sobbed and pleaded with the judge to let her see her children Credit: Maricopa County Superior Court The couple’s lawyer, Leah Dodd, described the situation as an “unimaginable tragedy”. Dodd told the court: “Mom is hosting a party at their home, assumes dad is gonna get [the boy]. Dad asks the 14-year-old. That’s not asking a young child to get another child out of the vehicle. “He was sleeping, and there was a lot going on, but this does not deviate from what a normal person would do in this situation.” Prosecutor Brooke Gaunt argued that “the child was in the car for more than two and a half hours and the parents were not aware of his location during that whole time.” Dodd argued that the abuse and negligent homicide charges were not appropriate. She said: “[Anca] called 911, she administered life-saving efforts, she answered all questions of detectives. This is not someone who is running away. “Everything that she and her husband did upon finding the child in the vehicle was standard care.” The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the boy’s cause of death. At one point, Anca pleaded with the judge: “I want to see my kids. Please let me see my kids.” The couple, who have been ruled as co-defendants, were each given $150,000 (£111,000) bond and are not allowed to have contact with each other. They can, however, have supervised visitation with their other four children. A GoFundMe has been set up to support Theo’s funeral and medical expenses, raising $265,000 so far. The fundraiser read: “Theo was deeply loved, and his precious life will never be forgotten. “Thank you for loving, praying for, and supporting the Sabo family as they walk through this unimaginable loss.” Mihail and Anca have been married for nearly 20 years and have lived in the Arizona area since 2011. The couple have a preliminary hearing scheduled on September 23. Comment now