Middletown Mother Faces Manslaughter Charges After Daughter's Death

A mother in Orange County is now facing manslaughter charges after her two-year-old was left in a hot car in September 2025.

Zenaida Soriano-Rincon/Orange County DA, Canva

Zenaida Soriano-Rincon was charged with Second-degree Manslaughter and Criminally Negligent Homicide Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

The 33-year-old woman from Middletown, was arraigned in Orange County Court for having allegedly left her two-year-old daughter in a car for eight hours, causing her death.

According to court documents, on September 19, 2025, Soriano-Rincon brought her child to work with her because she had no babysitter.

She then reportedly left the child in the car, "with the windows up or only slightly open" on a day when the high temperature reached approximately 78 degrees, from approximately 5:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

During the eight-hour period, she reportedly only checked on her child one time. After her shift, Soriano-Rincon brought the child to a nearby doctor s office, where she didn't have a pulse.

The two-year-old was then transported to Garnett Medical Center and pronounced dead. At that time, her body temperature was reportedly 108.9 degrees.

At the Wednesday arraignment, Soriano-Rincon was remanded back to the Orange County Jail without bail.

"The blameless victim in this case suffered for the alleged reckless conduct of this defendant," said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. "The outcome in this case was as tragic as it was preventable. I am grateful for the efforts of law enforcement to carefully investigate this matter. We remain committed to seeking justice on behalf of the victim."

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the New York State Police Child Abuse Unit and the City of Middletown Police Department for their investigation.