An 8-year-old boy took his mother's car for a ride with his younger sister and crashed into a pole, causing the death of his 6-year-old sibling.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Phoenix Police Sgt. Steve Martos said officials found the children in their pajamas when they arrived at the scene. Martos said the children's mother couldn't find the two in their home around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, just half an hour after putting them to bed.
The mother assumed the children were kidnapped and went door-to-door in the neighborhood looking for her son and daughter.
"It's just an unfortunate tragedy," Martos said.
Police said they received calls about a possible kidnapping and children driving a car. When officers spotted the vehicle and tried to pull it over, the boy turned to the right and crashed into the pole, the Chronicle reported.
According to Martos, the mother found out about the incident when she arrived at the scene.
The boy suffered minor injuries and his sister died at the hospital later that night. According to the Chronicle, the Phoenix Police Department has not announced if it will press any charges and their investigation in ongoing.
A similar tragedy happened in Erie, Pa. just a few weeks ago, when a 15-year-old crashed her parents car, which she took without permission, and ultimately led in the death of her 8-year-old brother, Emir Zilkic.
In addition to her brother's death, the crash caused three passengers to be thrown out of the car and two were pinned underneath when it landed. All of them were taken to the hospital and treated for injuries, right after Zilkic was pronounced dead.
Erie County District Attorney's Office didn't know if they were going to press charges, although police were still investigating the fatal crash.
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