Two-month-old Diana Sofia Aleman Roman, who had been adopted as a newborn approximately two months prior, died after being left in a parked SUV outside her adoptive parents' home in Santee, California. The family arrived home around 3 p.m. on June 12, 2024, and a family member found the baby girl unresponsive in the vehicle shortly after midnight on June 13, approximately nine hours later. Despite emergency life-saving measures by deputies and paramedics, the infant was pronounced dead at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. Her adoptive parents, Jayson De Los Santos and Romer De Los Santos (both 47), were later charged with child abuse and involuntary manslaughter by failing to perform a legal duty, and pleaded not guilty at their arraignment in El Cajon Superior Court nearly a year after the child's death.
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 parked car for approximately nine hours. The SD Union-Tribune (Document 4) states "the family arrived home around 3 p.m. on June 12, 2024. A family member called 911 after finding the infant still inside the SUV shortly after midnight on June 13." CBS8 (Document 1) notes "The car had been parked outside the house for several hours." This constitutes a clear failure of appropriate supervision.
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)?
Multiple documents explicitly describe this as a hot car death. The SD Union-Tribune (Document 2) states "the baby had been 'left in hot car.'" The NBC San Diego article (Document 3) states "Investigators said the infant was left in the hot vehicle for several hours." The Daily Mail article (Document 5) provides extensive detail about heat buildup in vehicles, noting "temperature inside a car can rise to 104F in just half an hour on a 70F day, and reach 115F in an hour."
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?
The child was adopted. The Daily Mail article (Document 5) states the baby "died after being left in the back of a hot car just two months after her adoptive parents took her home as a newborn." The SD Union-Tribune (Document 4) reports that the parents, Jayson De Los Santos and Romer De Los Santos, "have been charged with child abuse and involuntary manslaughter by failing to perform a legal duty" in connection with the child's death. They are the adoptive parents who were responsible for the child at the time of the incident.
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?
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?
Multiple sources explicitly confirm the child was adopted. The Daily Mail article (Document 5) states "Diana Sofia Aleman Roman was found unresponsive in the SUV outside her parents' home" and describes her as having died "just two months after her adoptive parents took her home as a newborn." It further states: "Diana's parents Romer and Jayson De Los Santos took her home on April 11 after flying to Arizona where they met the baby girl in hospital for the first time."
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
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?
The SD Union-Tribune (Document 4) reports: "The parents of a 2-month-old girl who died after she was left in a car outside their Santee home last summer have been charged with child abuse and involuntary manslaughter by failing to perform a legal duty. Jayson De Los Santos, 47, and Romer De Los Santos, 47, have pleaded not guilty in El Cajon Superior Court." It further states: "The parents were arraigned June 6, nearly a year after the child's 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. First, the child had been adopted only about two months before her death; Document 5 states "Diana's parents Romer and Jayson De Los Santos took her home on April 11" and she died June 13. Second, the timeline reveals the child was left in the car for approximately nine hours: Document 4 states "the family arrived home around 3 p.m. on June 12, 2024" and "A family member called 911 after finding the infant still inside the SUV shortly after midnight on June 13." Third, the outdoor temperature at the time of discovery was only 63°F (per Document 5), though temperatures during the daytime hours when the car was first parked would have been significantly higher, illustrating that even moderate outdoor temperatures can create lethal conditions inside a vehicle. Fourth, the parents were not charged until nearly a year after the child's death — Document 4 states "The parents were arraigned June 6, nearly a year after the child's death" — suggesting a prolonged investigation. Fifth, the adoptive parents are a same-sex couple who had also adopted a two-year-old son, and had been together for over 20 years (Document 5).
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