"They'll Cry Themselves To Sleep": Cries Of 2 Toddlers In Hot SUV Ignored As They Died

KERR COUNTY, TX — An 18-year-old man in Texas has been charged with murder for his role in the deaths of two toddler girls who were left in a hot car for 15 hours.

Kevin Franke was indicted on July 23 for the murders of Addyson Overgard-Eddy, 2; and Brynn Hawkins, 1. The girls’ unconscious bodies were pulled out of an SUV that was parked outside their mother’s home at around 12 P.M. on June 7, 2017.

The previous night, the girls’ mother, Amanda Hawkins, 20, allegedly left them in their car seats in the parked SUV outside the home at around 9 P.M. Hawkins was allegedly socializing inside the home with friends, including Franke, who was 16 at the time, according to police.

Addyson and Brynn sat there as the temperature climbed into the 80s, with no food or water, according to court documents obtained by People.

At one point, Franke went out to the SUV and napped for several hours, according to court papers. He claims he did not know the children were in the car, and did not hear them make any sounds, according to the indictment.

When he exited the vehicle at 8 A.M., he allegedly closed the SUV’s windows and shut the engine off.

According to authorities, Franke and Hawkins also failed to take the girls to the emergency room, after the two toddlers were discovered unconscious in the SUV. Both are being held in custody without bail.

Police said that at some point in the evening, someone heard the girls crying and asked if they wanted to come in.

“She [Hawkins] said, ‘No, it’s fine. They’ll cry themselves to sleep,’ ” Kerr County, Texas, Sheriff W.R. “Rusty” Hierholzer told the Washington Post.

Franke had already been charged with two counts of manslaughter, injury to a child, and child endangerment in connection with the deaths of the children in April. He entered not guilty pleas to the charges.

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