A father of two young children found dead inside a hot truck was released on bond after the Tulsa District Attorney's Office said surveillance video shows the children got into the car on their own.
The district attorney said in a statement that video from a neighbor's home confirmed the two young children got into the truck on their own and never got back out.
The DA's office issued the following statement on Monday:
Today Investigators with the Tulsa Police Department brought to the attention of the District Attorney’s Office additional information they were able to develop in the matter of the deaths of Tegan and Ryan Dennis. Detectives within the Child Crisis Unit were concerned about conflicting information as it related to the initially reported facts. Video surveillance footage from a neighbor’s home confirmed that the children managed to get into the truck and tragically never got out. Based upon that newly discovered evidence the detectives immediately reported it to our office. We then presented that information to the judge who initially set bond. Mr. Dennis was authorized for release on a personal recognizance bond.
No formal charges have been filed in this case. It is always important to note that our Constitution guarantees the presumption of innocence for any person accused of or arrested for a crime. That presumption of innocence remains until and unless a judge or jury determines otherwise.
Police booked Dustin Lee Dennis Tulsa County Jail, and he was being held on a $1 million bond, according to records.
Tulsa Police and the Child Crisis Unit received a call around 5:30 p.m. on June 13 at a neighborhood near 61st Street and Utica Avenue.
When officers arrived, they found a three-year-old and a four-year-old boy and girl deceased.
The father told police he went to QuikTrip with his children and came back home to take a nap.
He said he fell asleep between four and five hours, and when he woke up, he found his kids dead inside the truck.
He then carried them to the living room.
No previous underlying health conditions are suspected for the two children; however, the medical examiner is looking into the cause of death.
