# A party inside, a five-year-old in the car outside

> Theo Sabo was five, and everyone at the party assumed someone else had already got him out of the car.
- Title: A party inside, a five-year-old in the car outside · Dailymail
- Summary: Theo Sabo was five, and everyone at the party assumed someone else had already got him out of the car. Hot car deaths run on assumption. One named adult who…
- Keywords: hot car death, arizona, child safety, crime, court, news, entertainment, party, inside, five-year-old, car, outside
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16133069/arizona-boy-died-hot-car-parents-arrested-host-party-anca-mihail-theo-sabo.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-09-15T17:15:04+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: hot car death, arizona, child safety, crime, court, news, entertainment
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Hot car deaths run on assumption. One named adult who checks the car every single time is what breaks the chain.