The 17-month-old girls were discovered when a security working at an apartment complex on Glenn Street in southwest Atlanta heard crying around 1 a.m., Atlanta police said. He found them strapped inside their car seats in a Cadillac Escalade parked in the garage and called 911, police said.
When police arrived, the children were removed the car, Atlanta police Capt. Van Hobbs said. He said garage temperatures created a dangerous situation for the children.
They were heavily sweaty. They had soiled diapers, Hobbs said.
When the mother returned, she told police she had run inside to give someone some money for only a few minutes, but police said the girls were in the car for about an hour.
With the condition of the children, she had to be gone for longer than for just a few minutes, Hobbs said.
Medics rushed the children to Hugh Spalding Childrens Hospital in Atlanta, where they were treated for dehydration. They were later placed in the custody of their aunt.
The mother, whose name has not been released, is facing two counts of child cruelty and one count of reckless conduct.