Authorities have reported that a father, accused of leaving his 6-year-old son in a hot car during a heatwave in California, was an undocumented immigrant who was recently released on bail after an arrest.
Briant Reyes Estrada, 27, entered a not guilty plea to charges, including murder and child abuse, on Wednesday after his son suffered life-threatening injuries last weekend in Paso Robles.
The San Luis Obispo district attorney expressed deep anger over the situation, saying, “I’m outraged that this boy died so unnecessarily, and it makes me even more furious to know that this child’s death could have been prevented,” according to a post on X.
During the sweltering conditions, where temperatures soared to about 99 degrees, Reyes Estrada allegedly left his son in a parked car in the Paso Robles Inn parking lot last Saturday.
Afterward, he rushed the boy to the hospital, where sadly, the child was pronounced dead, according to law enforcement reports.
Following this, the father was arrested and charged with murder and intentional child endangerment.
Attorney Bill Essayri disclosed that Reyes Estrada was an “illegal alien” who had been released regarding unrelated felony charges just weeks prior.
“It’s alarming that an individual facing felony charges walks free and then allegedly causes the death of his young son left in a car on a hot day,” Essayri asserted in his statement on X.
Despite ICE issuing detainer requests for his deportation, he was released under California’s sanctuary laws.
Reyes Estrada was facing two misdemeanor charges related to an incident on April 29, which included false impersonation, forgery of a driver’s license, and embezzlement.
The district attorney noted that he had been jailed briefly in San Luis Obispo County at the time of his prior arrest.
According to Dow, California’s “sanctuary” law prevents local jails from holding individuals for ICE, creating a concerning situation for public safety.
“If Reyes Estrada had been detained as he should have been, he wouldn’t have been free to leave and wouldn’t have been able to put his child in this tragic situation on May 10,” he added. “This child’s death could have been avoided.”
Dow concluded that the California Sanctuary State Act (SB 54) should be reconsidered and repealed.
