Orlando woman granted bond in boy's hot car death

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - An Orange County woman went before a judge Wednesday morning, accused of leaving a 4-year-old boy in a hot SUV where he later died.

The boy's family is now speaking out, saying they are overjoyed that they can finally start to get justice -- six months after Logan Starling was left in a hot car outside of his school.

Orange County Sheriff's deputies arrested Mariah Butler Tuesday afternoon. She’s charged with child neglect and aggravated manslaughter.

Logan's mother, Shelby Hester, says they've been waiting for this day.

“Just knowing that my son got justice for something that should not have happened that day."

Logan's mother says Butler was his stepmother and married to Logan's father.

She says Butler drove Logan, his sister and her own children in a SUV to Elite Prepatory Academy on West Oakridge Road on that hot September day the boy was found dead.

Deputies say Butler left him in that SUV, with the engine off, the windows up, and the doors locked. A school employee saw his lifeless body and immediately pulled him out and ran him across the street to a fire station for help, but it was too late.

According to his autopsy, his body temperature was 108 degrees. The inside of the car was 121 degrees.

The medical examiner lists the manner of death as an accident but Logan's mother says she sees it as neglect and this arrest will help her family heal.

"It's being able to grieve now and let it come to closure so he can rest easy. And so me and my daughter can recover from it now."

A judge gave Butler a $15,150 bond and ordered that she should could not be left alone with any children.

Butler is facing charges of neglect and aggravated manslaughter.