Newborn dies after California gay dads leave her in hot car ‘for hours’ only two months after adoption

Diana was adopted in April by Romer and Jayson de Los Santos, a gay couple from California. An investigation has been launched to determine who left her in the car, and whether any charges should be filed.

According to the Daily Mail, when a family member discovered Diana in the vehicle shortly before 12:30am on June 13, the infant was unresponsive. First responders were called and when they arrived, she was taken to nearby Sharp Grossmont Hospital. Despite their efforts, Diana was pronounced dead a short time later.

It was later revealed that she had been left in the car for a number of hours. Outside, the temperatures was around 63F, but inside, it was likely over 100F. In extreme heat, the human body can suffer, with organs shutting down if the temperature surpasses 107F, and children cannot regulate their body temperature as well as adults can.

Diana had been born in Arizona and the two men flew out from California when they adopted her. She was the De Los Santos' second child. Two years after adopting a baby boy, the senior software consultant and stay-at-home dad updated their profile on an adoption website and were chosen to adopt her.

In their profile, they wrote they wanted to "raise healthy, responsible, and most importantly, kind adults." They told prospective birth parents they could come visit their child as often as they wished and be a part of their life.

Neighbors told the Daily Mail that the pair, who have been together for 20 years and got married in 2008 "seem like a nice family who wanted to give a couple of kids a good life," adding, "it's just a shame it didn't turn out that way."