MUNCIE, Ind. — Two people from Oklahoma were arrested on neglect charges after their two children became seriously ill from carbon monoxide fumes while sitting in a car outside a Muncie Walmart.
Police said the car's engine had been left running with the children, ages 8 and 2, inside the vehicle while the parents were in the store shoplifting on Friday.
Officers were called to the Walmart, located at 4801 W. Clara Lane, at around 12:15 p.m. on a report of two unresponsive children.
One child was found unresponsive in the vehicle in the parking lot and the other was brought inside for help.
Investigators discovered the car's exhaust system was malfunctioning, resulting in a carbon monoxide level that was "dangerously high and a significant health threat," police said. Police said one of the parents, who is the registered owner of the vehicle, was aware of the vehicle having an exhaust issue.
The children were taken by ambulance to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital and later transferred to an Indianapolis hospital. They're receiving emergency medical treatment and are reported to be in serious but stable condition.
Police said the children's parents, 41-year-old Antonio Kendrell Davis and 26-year-old Brittany Chris Rogers, were inside the Walmart for an "extended amount of time." Walmart reported that they had been shoplifting while inside the store.
Davis and Rogers were arrested on the charges of neglect of a dependent and theft.