Toddler’s Hot Car Death Under Investigation

BRANDON, FL — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 2-year-old Brandon boy found unresponsive in a SUV left parked in the Oak Park Shopping Center for several hours Tuesday.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were called to the center on the corner of West Lumsden Road and Kings Avenue along with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue around 2:40 p.m. Feb. 28. When they arrived, they found Jacob Manchego receiving first aid at a dialysis center located in the plaza. The child was taken to Brandon Regional Hospital where he later died.

The preliminary investigation revealed that Jacob’s half-sister Fiorella Vanessa Silva-Tello had the child with her when she drove to work at the BFF Kidz Child Care Center, 733 W. Lumsden Road. Silva-Tello, 21, arrived around 9:30 a.m. and went inside, leaving Jacob in the vehicle, an email from the agency said.

Around 2:30 p.m., deputies say Silva-Tello went back to her SUV and found Jacob unconscious. She removed Jacob from the vehicle and carried him to the nearby dialysis center where first aid was reported.

Detectives were interviewing Silva-Tello and other potential witnesses Tuesday night. No charges had been filed in the case. The sheriff’s office said investigators will be reviewing prior history related to the child and any previous calls for service at the family’s home. The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office will also review the case before charges, if any, are filed.

The sheriff's office told the Tampa Bay Times the air-conditioning was not on inside Silva-Tello's SUV during the five hours Jacob was inside. The high temperature in the Brandon area reached the mid-80s on Tuesday.

No further information is being released at this time.

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