Parents Who Left 2-Year-Old in Hot Car While Sibling Was Hospitalized for Neglect Sentenced to 70 Years in Prison

An Arkansas couple pleaded guilty to murder and will now spend decades in prison after their 2-year-old son died when he was left in a hot car along with three of their other children.

According to a statement from Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones, Deja Rollins, 28, and Justin Rollins, 30, both pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree domestic battery on Friday, April 18.

A Little Rock judge sentenced the couple to 70 years in prison, Jones said.

The couple was arrested in July 2024, after their 3-year-old was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock for “urgent medical treatment,” and their other children — ages 2, 4, 7 and 10 —were left locked in a car in the hospital parking lot. The youngest child, Jay’Dien Rollins, died the next day.

According to local outlets KARK and KATV, the couple’s domestic battery charge stems from the child abuse and neglect case that brought their 3-year-old to the hospital in the first place.

“This case is one of the most disturbing and heartbreaking our office has ever encountered,” Jones wrote in a statement. “Protecting children is the top priority of this office. There is no greater responsibility, and we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that those who harm a child are held fully accountable.”

Police in Jacksonville, Ark., initially said in a press release that they responded to a report of child abuse on July 7, 2024, after the couple’s 3-year-old was taken to the hospital. Hospital security staff had called 911 at 12:30 p.m. local time that day, after they discovered that the four other children had been left in the car.

Officials said that the husband and wife were “not cooperative in providing the location” of their children at the time, per Jacksonville police.

All four children were suffering from heat exhaustion when emergency personnel found them and removed them from the car, police added. The children were all hospitalized, and 2-year-old Jay’Dien died the following day.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 

Investigators later searched the Rollins’ home and allegedly found a malnourished dog there, police said. The dog was given to Jacksonville Animal Services, and the couple initially faced a charge of cruelty to animals, but the charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement.

In his statement, Jones thanked the Little Rock and Jacksonville police and doctors at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, among other officials.

“Thanks to the coordinated efforts of these dedicated professionals, we were able to secure a resolution that reflects the gravity of these crimes and ensures these children will not be forgotten,” the attorney added.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.