5-Year-Old Dies After Being Shut In Hot Room With 3-Year-Old Sibling; Mom Arrested

Two sisters, aged 5 and 3, were found locked up inside a hot bedroom with no ventilation or air-conditioning at a house in Las Vegas on Monday. While the elder sister died, the younger one has been rescued and taken by the Child Protection Service.

Police say the child was murdered and their mother, Kemaya Darshay Taylor, 23, is the prime suspect. She has been arrested and charged with murder, and two counts of felony child abuse, reports 8 News Now.

However, the cause of the child's death has not been ascertained yet.

Police said the incident happened at the home just off Maryland Parkway, between Cactus and Pyle, in the Silverado Ranch area, after 7 p.m. Monday. Officers who arrived at the location saw Taylor outside her home, behaving erratically and throwing rocks at cars.

Police immediately searched the home and found the children inside the bedroom. The Abuse and Neglect team has launched an investigation into the case.

Taylor is currently under custody at the Clark County Detention Center. A hearing has been scheduled for Thursday.

The news of the child's death has left neighbors shocked. "Came around the corner and saw 13 cop cars and a couple of ambulances parked on the street. It was really chaotic," Tracey Sunahara, a neighbor, told 8 News Now.

Another neighbor, Eric Wingfield, said Taylor was outside yelling and damaging several cars on the street. "She was picking up objects from inside of her house. She was hitting car windows and picking up rocks," Wingfield told the news outlet.

She added that a lot of the kids just run around the neighborhood, and they’re always really good. "It’s always pretty quiet around here. It’s just not something you would think would happen this close."

Chris Dumas, who lives right across the way, too was shocked by the incident. "It’s really unsettling, and for it to take place so close to home, like you really don’t know what is going on next door,” Dumas said.

A few days ago, police had rescued a missing 6-year-old girl from her father. Nicholas Reeder and daughter Kinzleigh were living inside a barricaded outbuilding in Tennessee with no ventilation or air-conditioning. Police said they were using buckets to relieve themselves. A bloodhound, which was assisting the search team, led the officials to the building where the dad and daughter were staying.