Inset: Tyler J. Pence (Johnson County Jail). Background: The area in Kansas where Pence's daughter was pronounced dead (Google Maps).
A 43-year-old father in Kansas is accused of leaving his two young children inside a sweltering vehicle for more than two hours while he went into work, before allegedly fabricating a story about looking for apartments to cover his tracks.
Tyler James Pence was taken into custody last month and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated endangerment of a child resulting in bodily harm, records show. His arrest came about seven months after the September 2025 incident left his 3-year-old daughter dead and his 1-year-old son severely injured, court records show.
According to a news release from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, the investigation began on Sept. 3, 2025, at approximately 5:30 p.m. near K-10 and Kill Creek Road in De Soto. Deputies arrived to find Pence and his two children inside a vehicle. While lifesaving measures were performed on both children at the scene, the 3-year-old was pronounced dead. The 1-year-old was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but eventually recovered.
The sheriff's office noted that the arrest was the result of a "collaborative effort" between the Medical Examiner's Office, hospital staff, and a "thorough investigation" which eventually discovered the children had been left in the car on a hot day.
Additional information about the circumstances leading to the child's death was revealed in court documents obtained by Kansas City Fox affiliate WDAF.
Pence reportedly called 911 himself, telling the emergency dispatcher he was driving around with his children when he noticed one of the kids was no longer breathing, adding that it was "really hot" in the vehicle.
Upon arriving, deputies found Pence in the driver's seat of a Buick Encore with the windows rolled down.
Despite Pence's claims that the car's air conditioning did not work and that he had been driving with the windows up, emergency responders allegedly noted the air conditioning was running on low with the fan at full power when they arrived. Furthermore, while the children were suffering from heat-related injuries, investigators noted that Pence was not sweating.
Pence reportedly claimed he left home around 4 p.m. to look at apartments and had only been driving for about 20 minutes when the medical crisis began.
However, a co-worker told investigators that Pence had actually come into work that afternoon for his normal shift.
Surveillance footage allegedly confirmed the witness' claim, showing Pence arriving at work in his Buick at 2:59 p.m., leaving both children strapped in their seats with the windows up and the ignition off, the report said.
Pence allegedly insisted on starting his shift to get "everyone organized," staying for more than two hours before he's seen exiting at 5:19 p.m., three minutes before the 911 call.
Investigators concluded that while the outside temperature reached roughly 85 degrees, the temperature inside the vehicle could have reached as high as 130 degrees. According to KFOR, deputies at the scene also observed crumbs and juice on the floorboard, leading them to believe the toddlers had no access to any fluids while locked inside.
Pence is currently being held in the Johnson County jail on a $250,000 cash bond and is scheduled to appear in court again on July 9.
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