PHOENIX — A mother of four is facing four counts of child abuse after allegedly leaving her children in a van for one hour without any air conditioning Thursday afternoon.
Officials say 29-year-old Vina Yazzie's children are between 2 and 7 years old.
Yazzie allegedly left her four children in the car while she went shopping inside a Phoenix Walmart.
The children also appeared to have not bathed in weeks and were in soiled clothing, according to court documents.
Documents say when police arrived around 5 p.m., the outside temperature was approximately 107 degrees. The temperature inside the van was read to be 121 degrees.
Police say that the kids did not have any heat-related injuries and that they were released to family members after DCS was notified.
Thursday's high was 109 degrees, according to National Weather Service. Court documents emphasize that there were Excessive Heat Warnings in Phoenix Thursday.
Court paperwork shows that during questioning Yazzie stated that she did nothing wrong.
Police have previously contacted Yazzie for leaving her kids in a vehicle in March 2022.
