A 2-year-old Anna boy is still hospitalized in Dallas after being found in a hot car Thursday afternoon, police say.
Friday afternoon Sgt. Ron James with the Collin County Sheriff Office confirmed the toddler's father, Joshua Cartee, was arrested at the hospital on an injury to a child warrant.
Police said the boy was found in a car outside of the family's home on the 9300 block of state Highway 121 after his father noticed he was missing and called police.
The child was found alive, but unresponsive, and transported to Children's Medical Center in Dallas by air ambulance, police said.
Friday afternoon the family told NBC 5 the child is dealing with swelling in his brain and is in a medically-induced coma.
Investigators have not said how the child came to be in the car, but CPS investigators said they were told the car was not working.
The family told NBC 5 that the boy's mother left the home with the family's other son and didn't deadbolt the door. At that time 2-year-old was napping on the couch with his dad, the family says the little boy woke up, went outside and got into the broken down car in the driveway.
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The family says when the Joshua Cartee woke up and couldn't find his son, he started frantically searching for him and called police for help.
"It’s just an unfortunate accident, something my boy is going to have to live with," said Joshua Cartee's father Lennie Cartee. "Every minute he's got, he's with his boys."
NBC 5 learned Friday that the family was recently the subject of an investigation by Child Protective Services, stemming from an incident in July when the child was found wandering by a neighbor.
The family told CPS investigators that the boy had never wandered away before and had no idea how he got out of the house. The investigation ended last week after the family told investigators that they had installed new locks and other measures at their home designed to secure the child.
Though the child remains hospitalized, CPS investigators have applied for emergency physical custody of the boy, according to CPS spokesperson Marissa Gonzales.
"As the investigation progresses, a decision has to be made as to what’ll happen to the other child as well,” said Gonzales.
Meanwhile, the family has refused to speak with CPS investigators following this latest incident.
"You ain't taking the rights to my grandson, unless you show me a piece of paper where the judge signs," said Lennie Cartee.
NBC 5's Catherine Ross contributed to this report.
