A Collin County jury has found a 27-year-old Frisco woman guilty of murder in the hot-car death of her 15-month-old son, sentencing her to 25 years in prison.
Vanessa Esquivel was convicted on June 19 after pleading not guilty to a first-degree murder charge, according to Collin County court records. The sentence stems from the death of her son on August 16, 2025.
Child Left in Vehicle Outside Workplace
According to Frisco police, Esquivel left the toddler inside a vehicle parked outside the Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, where she worked, for more than two hours. Investigators said she knew the vehicle’s air conditioning was not working.
Weather records showed temperatures in Frisco reached at least 95 degrees that day.
Authorities said Esquivel later drove the child to Medical City Plano after stopping at a McDonald’s restaurant. Investigators said the child had a core body temperature of 106 degrees when he died.
Investigation Contradicts Initial Statements
According to an arrest affidavit, Esquivel initially told officers she had been driving around with her son in a vehicle that did not have working air conditioning. She denied working that day and said the child had remained with her the entire time.
Frisco detectives, working with Plano police, later contacted the spa where Esquivel was employed. Employment records showed she worked a shift from approximately 1:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on the day of the child’s death.
Investigators concluded the toddler had been left alone in the vehicle while Esquivel served clients.
Recorded Phone Call Became Key Evidence
The affidavit states that a recorded phone conversation with a coworker the following day became a key piece of evidence.
During the August 17 call, Esquivel allegedly admitted she had left her son in the vehicle with the air conditioning running while she worked with two clients because she could not find childcare and was “between a rock and a hard place.”
According to investigators, Esquivel told the coworker the child’s death “was her fault” and said she believed she would be arrested. She also asked the coworker not to share the conversation, which had been automatically recorded through the spa’s phone system.
Arrest and Sentencing
Frisco police obtained an arrest warrant after determining the circumstances met the statutory elements for a murder charge. Esquivel was arrested by Dallas police on August 20, 2025, and later transferred to Frisco authorities.
Following her conviction, she was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Under Texas law, a person convicted of first-degree murder must serve at least half of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Provided by Dallas Express
