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MONTEVALLO – The deaths of two children were confirmed after they were found unresponsive in a hot car at their family’s home near Montevallo on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 15.

Shelby County 911 received a call about two missing children, a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, in the 400 block of Reynolds Cemetery Road in unincorporated Shelby County at about 2:35 p.m. Aug. 15, according to a Shelby County Sheriff’s Office press release.

SCSO deputies responded to the call and began searching for the two boys, who were located in a vehicle in the yard.

Southeast Shelby Rescue rendered emergency medical treatment, and the children were transported to Shelby Baptist Medical Center, where they later died, the release read.

The two brothers were playing when they accidentally locked themselves in the car, Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans said.

“They weren’t in the car that long,” Evans said. “It doesn’t take that long when it’s 135 degrees.”

A postmortem exam will be conducted in Montgomery to confirm the children’s deaths were heat-related, Evans said.

The case is still under investigation.

“Our hearts and prayers are with the family of those two little boys during this unimaginable tragedy,” Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego wrote in the release.

Evans urged parents to take precautions by locking their vehicles to prevent young children from getting inside while they are playing, especially during the summer when temperatures are elevated.

“Little kids can easily get flustered and not be able to get out,” Evans said. “It literally only takes minutes for them to succumb to heat.”