Three kids have seizures in ‘filthy’ car with deadly gas and roaches, Oklahoma cops say

In a car filled with an “overwhelming” stench and a deadly gas, three young siblings suffered seizures before their mom called for help, police say, according to the Chickasha Express-Star.

Their mom, Rebekkah Sterling, 35, was then arrested by Chickasha police in Oklahoma, KOCO reported. Police said the mom “knew her car had an exhaust leak,” but she still drove it with her kids inside, according to the TV station.

“The children could have easily died from these actions,” Lt. Scott Weaver said, according to KOCO.

“When there’s a problem (with the exhaust), poisonous gases that are colorless and odorless can travel into the passenger cabin, putting you and your passengers at serious, potentially fatal risk,” according to Pep Boys mechanics.

A test by the Chickasha Fire Department showed “positive results” of deadly carbon monoxide in the vehicle parked at the Chickasha Travel Plaza, KFOR reported. That’s about 45 miles south of Oklahoma City. The gas is tasteless, odorless and colorless.

“That (positive test) led them to believe that that’s what the children were suffering from ... exposure to carbon monoxide,” Weaver said, according to KOCO.

When police showed up to help, they saw Sterling outside of the car while holding her 3-year-old, the Express-Star reported. The doors were open, and her 8-year-old was lying down. Her 2-year-old was “curled up in a ball and crying,” the newspaper reported.

The three kids were cut up and in dirty clothes, KFOR reported, according to police. They had dirt under their fingernails. The car they were in was in a “filthy condition,” and roaches were crawling out of the car’s center console, according to the TV station.

In body camera footage obtained by KOCO, police can be seen taking a limp child out of the car. The mom was rocking another child outside of the car.

Officers said Sterling’s behavior “did not show extreme concern for her children and was making excuses for why they were so filthy,” according to a report obtained by KFOR.

The siblings were taken to a hospital, the Express-Star reported, and then placed into protective custody. In the hospital, they ate like “they had not eaten in a while,” according to the newspaper, and they lacked fluid.

Sterling was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of child abuse by injury and child neglect, KFOR reported.