Tierrasanta Mother Of Toddler Found Dead In Car Arrested

SAN DIEGO — The mother of a toddler found unconscious in a vehicle outside their Tierrasanta home was arrested Thursday.

The woman made a 911 call shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 5 to report that she had just woken up and could not find her 2-year-old daughter at their residence in the 10300 block of Leary Street, according to San Diego police.

The mother's line then went dead, SDPD media services Officer Billy Hernandez said. A short time later, she called back and told a dispatcher she had found her child in her vehicle, unresponsive and not breathing.

Medics went to the home and tried in vain to revive the 20-month-old girl before pronouncing her dead at the scene, Hernandez said.

San Diego Police Department child abuse detectives were called in to investigate the death and their findings were forwarded to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, which issued a warrant for the mother's arrest, according to SDPD Lt. Carole Beason.

The mother, 24-year-old Priscilla Marquez Harris, was arrested and is now facing child endangerment charges.

She was also booked on suspicion of inflicting great bodily injury on a child under 5 and personal infliction likely to produce great bodily injury or death of a child, Beason said.

Harris was being held in lieu of $1 million bail, according to sheriff's jail records.

She is due to be arraigned on Monday, Beason said.

– City News Service