3-year-old Texas boy dies after being left in daycare van for hours

July 20 (UPI) -- A 3-year-old Texas boy is dead after being left in a daycare van for several hours, officials said Thursday.

The boy was on a field trip while attending the Discovering Me Academy in Houston. But when the van returned, the driver and chaperone did not realize the boy was left in the van, Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen told reporters.

School employees did not realize the boy was missing until his father came to pick him up. They first searched inside the school facility before checking the van. Emergency crews were called but the boy had already died after being stuck in the van where the recorded temperature was 113 degrees.

"The next thing I know, a few hours later the dad and the owner came out and was crying," said Kenneth Brooks, an eyewitness, told KTRK-TV. "When EMS had him, he was just limp, you know. Right there, I knew the kid was gone. It's a sad day."

Rosen said the driver and chaperone could face criminal charges.

"This was really just gross negligence," he said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "As a result, a child lost his life."

KTRK-TV reported that the Discovering Me Academy had been cited in the past, including once in 2015 for not having an electronic child safety alarm to let drivers know if a child is left in the van