Toddler found dead inside stolen car hours after the father was killed in Houston

A two-year-old child was found dead inside of a stolen car in Houston after its father was fatally shot hours before, authorities reported.

On Tuesday afternoon, Houston police received a phone call reporting a shooting outside of a supermarket, Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite said at a news conference.

When the police arrived at the scene, they found a 38-year-old man who had been shot to death. Authorities believe he was meeting with someone and then an argument broke out. The other man shot the victim several times and then stole his SUV.

Around five hours later, a woman called the police reporting her husband and 2-year-old child missing. As the woman was describing her partner, police realized he was the victim of the shooting that had happened earlier.

"We never knew about the child until she called," Satterwhite said.

At that point, police started to search for the SUV. They eventually found it about 10 miles away from where the shooting had taken place.

The child was still in the backseat. Despite trying life-saving measures on the toddler, it was pronounced dead soon after.

"Sadly, it was too late," Satterwhite said. "We don't know why or how or what the cause of death will be. It could be something as like heat exhaustion. We just don't know. That will be determined later through autopsy."

Investigators revealed that the suspect parked the car, turned it off, and locked it with the child still in the backseat.

Police reported that a 38-year-old man has been detained and is facing charges of murder and tampering with evidence. The suspect was identified through surveillance video from near where the shooting happened.

The suspect's name has not yet been released.