Dustin Lee Dennis, 31, is behind bars in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and facing two counts of second-degree murder after allegedly leaving his two children in his hot truck, according to jail records.
The two children, identified by the family as 4-year-old Teagan and 3-year-old Ryan, 3, were allegedly left in the back of Dennis’ truck for several hours on Saturday.
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“There is no way to express our grief or what my sister is going through,” their aunt, Chantiel Keyes, wrote on a GoFundMe page. No one is ever expecting to go through this.”
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Dennis told police he went to a local QuikTrip with his children around noon on Saturday, and then went home to take a nap, according to WSMV and Fox 23.
When he returned home, Dennis allegedly went into his house and left his children in the locked truck. Dennis then took a four- or five-hour nap and when he awoke, found his children dead on the floorboards of his truck, Fox 23 reports.
Temperatures in Tulsa on Saturday were in the 90s, according to the National Weather Service.
Dennis then reportedly brought the children inside and called authorities.
Teagan and Ryan were with their father for his weekend visitation, according to Keyes.
It’s unclear whether Dennis has an attorney to comment on his behalf. As of Monday, the GoFundMe page had reached almost $3,000 of its $10,000 goal for funeral expenses.
