Three Children Found in Hot Car Outside Hollywood Casino

Casino security found the children in a parked Jeep in the casino’s north lot shortly after 1:30 a.m. on November 1. The vehicle was off and its windows were closed. The children appeared unresponsive at first, but security staff opened the door and found them conscious and sweating. Officers also felt heat inside the vehicle and noticed perspiration on a child’s cheek.

Medics from the local fire service checked the children and determined they did not need medical treatment. Police said they had been left without food, water or a phone. The outdoor temperature was 76 degrees, with humidity at 89 percent. Officers gave them water.

Police arrested Lillian Mun, 32, and Terrence Dirod Wright, 42. Investigators said casino video showed the Jeep arriving at about 11:50 p.m. and the adults later gambling together at slot machines. Footage did not show either returning to check on the children. Police estimated the children were left alone for about an hour.

Mun told officers she had gone inside to find the keys after the vehicle shut off, and said she had been inside for about 20 minutes. Wright said he believed the children were still in the Jeep because he could not find the keys. Investigators said the surveillance footage conflicted with Mun’s account.

The pair each face three charges of neglecting a child, plus two charges for leaving a child under 6 alone in a vehicle. The children were placed with a friend of Mun, and state child welfare officials were told so they could follow up. Their ages were redacted in the arrest affidavit.