A couple from Indianapolis is accused of leaving two young children alone inside a hot SUV in Lawrence earlier this week.

Watson Joseph and Mirianne Pierre are charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent. They were booked into the Marion County Jail.

Lawrence Police say a man and woman walked inside a Walmart on Pendleton Pike and left their two kids alone inside a Ford SUV for more than 40 minutes Monday night.

Investigators say they were told by a passerby that he noticed the kids locked inside the SUV and called 911. He said the SUV wasn’t running.

Court records indicate that the temperature inside the vehicle was likely over 125 degrees when both kids were found. One of them was sweating profusely while the other was dazed, but not sweating at all. Both children had higher blood pressure than what’s normal for children their age.

Responding officers say Pierre told them that she was only inside for a little bit of time and that Joseph was there to assist her with heavy items. Both children are now in the care of the Department of Child Services.

The State Police District in Bloomington issued the following warning about hot cars at the beginning of the week:

With outside temperatures reaching a sweltering 95+ degrees this week, the Indiana State Police Bloomington Post is reminding all motorists, parents, and pet owners as to the extreme dangers of leaving precious cargo unattended in a hot car.

Even at moderate outdoor temperatures this time of year (low 70’s), a parked car with the windows up can quickly reach inside temperatures of 120 degrees or more.

As reported by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), over the past 25 years, more than 970 children have died of heatstroke, because they were left or became trapped in a hot car. Everyone needs to understand these tragedies can happen to anyone – but are always preventable.