Texas Toddlers Die After Mom Leaves Them in Hot Car as Punishment

06/25/2017 11:22 pm EDT

A Texas mother was arrested Friday after police say she left her two children in a hot car where they later died.

Cynthia Randolph allegedly locked 1-year-old Cavanaugh Ramirez and 2-year-old Cynthia Ramirez in the car last month to teach the little girl "a lesson," Inside Edition reports.

Randolph initially told investigators with the Parker County Sheriff's office that she was at home west of Ft. Worth on May 26 when she discovered her children were missing. She said that she found the children locked in the car and that they had been there "no more than an hour."

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In a statement on Saturday, however, the police say that Randolph has since acknowledged that she intentionally left the children in the car.

Randolph told police that the kids has been playing in the car and when Juliet refused to get out, Randolph shut the door to teach her a lesson. Randolph claims that she thought the little girl would get herself and her little brother out when ready.

Randolph allegedly then went into the house to smoke marijuana and take a nap while Juliet and Cavanaugh remained in the vehicle as temperatures soared to the mid-90s.

Randolph found the children unresponsive around three hours later. Both children were pronounced dead half an hour after authorities were notified, according to the police.

In a brief statement, the children's father thanked the authorities.

"Please send a thank you to [the] Parker County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Rangers from the Ramirez family," the statement said.

Randolph is being held on two counts of causing serious bodily injury to a child.

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