On July 10, 2024, five-year-old Dionicio Perez died after being left unattended in a Chevrolet Suburban for approximately seven hours in Omaha, Nebraska. His foster mother, Juanita Pinon (age 40), had dropped off her biological children at school that morning and then told her 15-year-old son to leave Dionicio in the car because he was going to work with her. Pinon arrived at Muse Beauty Bar, a nail salon where she worked near 93rd Street, at approximately 10:32 AM with Dionicio still in the vehicle. Surveillance footage showed Pinon returned to the vehicle at least twice during the day — once at 11:35 AM to retrieve boxes from the trunk and again just past noon with her husband — but did not check on the child in the third row of seats. At approximately 5:04 PM, Pinon called home inquiring about Dionicio, and moments later went to the vehicle where she discovered him unresponsive at 5:09 PM. The outside temperature that day reached 86°F, and the child's body temperature was recorded at 105°F. He was taken to Children's Nebraska hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Dionicio had been placed in Pinon's care approximately two years earlier as a kinship placement after his biological mother, Ashley Zelfel, told a Douglas County judge she could no longer safely care for her six children. Pinon was charged with child abuse by neglect resulting in death and was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 6 to 10 years in prison.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The child was left unattended in a vehicle for approximately seven hours while his foster mother was at work. Document 2 states: "police were told the boy had been left in the SUV for about seven hours. Surveillance video shows Pinon leaving her vehicle with the boy inside and going into work." Document 4 provides a detailed timeline showing Pinon told her teenager to "leave Dionicio in the car because he was going to work with her that day," then arrived at work at 10:32 AM and did not discover Dionicio unresponsive until 5:09 PM.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
This is a hot car death. Document 1 states: "The temperature in Omaha reached a peak of 86 degrees on the day of the incident, a dangerous degree for any child left in a vehicle. This incident marks the tenth hot-car death in the U.S." Document 4 states: "5-year-old Dionicio Perez died after being left in a vehicle near 93rd and Binney streets on a hot day in July 2024" and "Investigators said Perez had a body temperature of 105 degrees."
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
While Pinon is primarily described as a foster parent, there is evidence she may also have been a legal guardian. Document 3 states: "Whether Juanita Pinon is a foster parent or legal guardian, court documents shed more light on how she came to have this child" and "Zelfel then gave Pinon power of attorney over the kids." Document 2 states: "Custody for three of the children, including Dionicio, was signed over to Pinon, a family friend, after their mother told a Douglas County judge she no longer believed she could safely care for them." The power of attorney and custody transfer suggest a guardianship-like arrangement.
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Juanita Pinon is consistently described as the child's foster mother across all documents. Document 2 states: "The foster mother of the boy who died after he was left in an SUV for several hours appeared in court." Document 3 states: "Police describe Pinon as the boy's foster mother." Document 5 describes the arrangement as a "kinship placement."
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
The child was in a kinship foster care placement at the time of the incident. Document 5 states: "Court records indicate that Dionicio's biological mother placed him and one of his siblings in Pinon's care in August 2022 as a kinship placement." All documents consistently describe Pinon as the child's foster mother, and multiple state agencies (DHHS, Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare) are investigating the case in their capacity to oversee foster care.
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Juanita Pinon was arrested, charged, convicted, and sentenced. Document 2 states: "Juanita Pinon, 40, was formally charged in Douglas County Court with child abuse by neglect resulting in death." Document 4 states: "Juanita Pinon was sentenced Thursday to 6 to 10 years in prison for negligent child abuse resulting in death."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the documents that were not fully addressed by the preceding questions. First, the sentencing document (Document 4) reveals a troubling timeline: Pinon explicitly told her 15-year-old son to "leave Dionicio in the car because he was going to work with her that day," then went to the vehicle at least twice during the day (at 11:35 AM and just past noon with her husband) to retrieve items but apparently failed to notice or check on the child in the third row of seats. At 5:04 PM, Pinon called home "inquiring about Dionicio," suggesting she may have forgotten about him. Second, the case raises significant systemic child welfare concerns: the child was placed via a kinship arrangement after his biological mother (Ashley Zelfel) told a judge she could not safely care for her six children. Document 5 details how Nebraska's foster care oversight system involves multiple agencies (DHHS, Foster Care Review Office, Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare), all of which are investigating whether the system failed this child. Nebraska Appleseed stated "the child welfare system in the state is overwhelmed." Third, Dionicio had a twin sister also in Pinon's care; the twin was not in the vehicle that day because she had pink eye. The sibling was removed from Pinon's home after the incident and placed with a licensed foster family. Finally, there was a discrepancy between prosecution and police statements: Document 2 notes "the state said Pinon had gone out to her vehicle a few times that day, but police told 6 News that isn't true," while the later sentencing account in Document 4 confirmed via surveillance video that Pinon did go to the vehicle at least twice.
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