ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Two women were arrested in St. Peters after three elderly people with intellectual disabilities were found in a 96-degree van on Thursday, police said.
Niyah Brown, 22, and Alexis Daggs, 29, were both charged with three counts each of abuse of an elderly, disabled or vulnerable person.
St. Charles County Police Department sent officers to a parking lot for a wellness check inside a white parked van. During that time the officers reported that the temperature was 96 degrees outside and three older individuals were inside the van sweating profusely.
The witness who called the police told the officers that the victims were in the car with the engine off and the doors and windows closed when they noticed the van. The witness then went into a nearby store and asked them to announce the van to the customers shopping. After a few minutes, police said a couple of customers returned to the van and noticed the doors unlocked. They opened the doors to allow for air circulation and called 911, according to the police report.
Officers on the scene tried to start the van but could not find the key.
The victims were "secured in seats, with no mental capacity to call for help or even open a door on their own," according to the police report.
Brown and Daggs eventually came to the van and identified themselves as the people responsible for the older adults. Police said that both Brown and Daggs told officers that they left the car running while they went into a few stores. Daggs was found to be in possession of the van's keys, police said.
Police concluded that Brown and Daggs neglected the victims for at least 40 minutes in severe weather conditions without proper access to air or the ability to exit the van.
The victims were taken to a local hospital for heat-related injuries, police said.
Brown and Daggs were being held on a bond of $50,000.
