Locked in a hot car, Hibbing toddlers hospitalized

DULUTH — Twin 3-year-old boys are hospitalized after they were found unresponsive Monday afternoon in their father's locked vehicle in Hibbing, police said.

The boys had been reported missing from a residence about 90 minutes before their discovery. It appears they entered the vehicle on their own, said Hibbing Police Chief Steve Estey. A citizen helping with the search found them and alerted Hibbing police, who broke the window to gain entry.

The boys were in medical distress from the extreme heat inside the vehicle. One child was taken to a Hibbing hospital and the other was transported by air to Children's Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis, where he is in critical condition. The temperature in Hibbing around that time was 85 degrees, but the inside of the vehicle could have reached at least 130 degrees, according to an American Veterinary Medical Association chart.

Foul play is not suspected but Estey said the incident is still under investigation for possible charges.

Jana Hollingsworth • 218-508-2450