A Sunday that ended in court

Theo Sabo, five, died in a hot car outside his family's Arizona home while his parents hosted a party indoors. Both parents have been arrested.

The boy in the car

Theo was found unresponsive in the family vehicle parked outside their $1.1 million property in Peoria, a suburb northwest of Phoenix.

It hit 105 degrees

Peoria reached 105 degrees on Sunday. Police say Theo was inside the vehicle as that heat built through the afternoon.

Home from a baptism

The family got back around 1pm from the baptism of another child and started hosting guests at the house.

Nobody noticed for hours

Police say the parents did not realize Theo was missing until 3.45pm, roughly two and three quarter hours after they pulled in.

CPR on the driveway

Family members pulled Theo from the car and performed CPR. The fire department took him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Both parents charged

Anca Sabo, 45, and Mihail Sabo, 50, were charged with negligent homicide and child abuse for leaving Theo in the vehicle.

Dad points at the teenager

Mihail told police he had asked his 14-year-old son to get Theo out of the car when they first got home, according to court documents.

The teen remembers no request

The 14-year-old, who has not been named, told police he does not remember being asked to get his younger brother from the car.

Police call it a miscommunication

Peoria police framed the death as a breakdown over who had responsibility, not a deliberate act.

“It appears that it was either a miscommunication between who or which family member was supposed to get the child out of the car”

A chain of assumptions

At Monday's hearing, defense attorney Leah Dodd laid out how the handoff collapsed, with each adult believing another one had it covered.

“Mom is hosting a party at their home, assumes dad is gonna get [the boy]. Dad asks the 14-year-old.”

Asleep in the back

Dodd said Theo was sleeping when they arrived and the house was busy with guests, and argued the parents acted as anyone would have.

“He was sleeping, and there was a lot going on, but this does not deviate from what a normal person would do in this situation”

Defense says charges don't fit

Dodd argued negligent homicide and child abuse are the wrong charges, pointing to what the parents did the moment they found him.

“She called 911, she administered life-saving efforts, she answered all questions of detectives”

Cause of death still open

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released Theo's cause or manner of death.

A mother begs the judge

Anca broke down in the hearing and asked to be allowed to see her surviving children.

“I want to see my kids. Please let me see my kids.”

Bond, and no contact

Each parent was given a $150,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with the other. The judge did allow supervised visits with their other children.

Back in court in days

Both parents have a status conference set for September 21 and a preliminary hearing on September 23.

Strangers sent $223,000

A GoFundMe for Theo's funeral and memorial costs had raised more than $223,000 by Tuesday, with organizers describing a family deep in their church community.

“The Sabo family experienced the unimaginable heartbreak of losing their precious little boy, Theo.”