LV 4-year-old who died after being left in car identified

The 4-year-old boy found dead in his family's sport utility vehicle Monday morning has been identified as Jason Rimer of Las Vegas.

The boy had been in the SUV for 17 hours, Las Vegas police said. The Clark County coroner's office had not determined a cause of death on Tuesday.

He was pronounced dead about 8:30 a.m., police said. A sibling found him in the vehicle outside his house at 4935 E. Cleveland Ave., near Sahara Avenue and Nellis Boulevard.

Police said the child's parents had forgotten the boy in after returning home from an outing Sunday afternoon. Investigators believe heat was a factor in the child's death.

The boy was mentally disabled, said a man at the scene Monday. He identified himself as a member of the Rimers' Mormon church.

Clark County's Department of Family Services removed all minor children from the home and placed them in the Child Haven shelter, where they remained on Tuesday.

Child Protective Services previously had contact with the family. Most recently, investigators closed a case in May 2007 because allegations, which officials did not disclose, were unsubstantiated, according to the Department of Family Services.

Only one contact with the family was substantiated. That happened in 1988, according to the Department of Family Services. Officials did not say what that contact involved.

Lisa Teele, supervisor of the Metropolitan Police Department's abuse and neglect unit, said the investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed.