Peoria Parents Detained After Incident Involving Five-Year-Old Boy – And a Key Dispute Between Father and Teen Son Emerges

As the case moved into court, an emotional plea from the boy's mother, strict release conditions, and a fast-growing wave of community support revealed just how far the tragedy had rippled. But the most haunting details were still buried in the timeline of those final hours.

A family returned home from what should have been a meaningful day at church, unaware that within hours, their lives would be changed forever. But as investigators began piecing together what happened, two accounts of one crucial moment did not match.

The devastating case unfolded in Peoria, Arizona, on September 13, 2026, after a family came home from the baptism of another child.

What authorities say happened between their arrival and the frantic search that followed has now become a central part of the investigation.

A Family Returns Home from Church

According to Fox 10 Phoenix, the family arrived back at their home at approximately 1 p.m. after attending the baptism. For more than two hours afterward, however, five-year-old Theo's whereabouts were apparently unknown.

Shortly after 3:45 p.m., his family realized he was missing and began searching for him. It was his mother who ultimately found the little boy. Theo was unresponsive inside a vehicle at the family's home near 67th Avenue and Happy Valley Road.

Family members pulled him from the car and began CPR. By then, according to authorities, he had been inside the vehicle for approximately two and a half hours. Peoria Fire personnel transported the five-year-old to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The heartbreaking discovery alone was enough to leave a family devastated. But court documents would soon reveal another detail that added a difficult new question to the investigation.

Father and Teen Son Give Different Accounts

According to the court documents cited in the report, Theo's father, Mihail Sabo, told investigators that when the family first arrived home, he had asked his 14-year-old son to get the five-year-old out of the vehicle. The teenager, however, reportedly gave police a different version of events.

He told investigators that his father never asked him to get Theo out of the car. That contradiction has emerged as one of the most significant details surrounding the case as investigators try to determine exactly how the little boy remained inside the vehicle for so long.

"It appears that it was either a miscommunication between who or which family member was supposed to get the child out of the car," William Kennedy of the Peoria Police Department said.

Authorities have not indicated in the information provided that investigators have resolved the conflicting accounts, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Theo's Parents Were Arrested

Police arrested Theo's parents, identified as Mihail and Anca Sabo, following their son's death. Authorities recommended charges of negligent homicide and child abuse. During Anca's initial court appearance on September 14, she was visibly emotional.

"I want to see my kids. Please let me see my kids," she said. Brooke Gaunt of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office addressed the amount of time Theo was allegedly left unattended. "The child was in the car for more than two and a half hours and the parents were not aware of his location during that whole time," Brooke said.

Criminal Defense Attorney Leah Dodd, meanwhile, emphasized the devastating nature of what had happened. "This was a, I can't overstress this, a tragedy," Leah said. Both parents were given $150,000 bonds.

They are not permitted to have contact with each other and are only allowed supervised visits with their other children. The pair are also expected to return to court one week later.

No final determination of criminal responsibility has been made in the information provided, and the case remains under investigation.

A Community Rallies Around the Sabo Family

As the legal process unfolds, people have also rallied around the family following Theo's death. A GoFundMe fundraiser created to support the Sabo family described the five-year-old as a deeply loved little boy and asked the community to help his grieving family with funeral and memorial costs, meals, time away from work, and other immediate expenses.

"On September 13 the Sabo family experienced the unimaginable heartbreak of losing their precious little boy, Theo," the message begins. It continues by describing the family as people who have "poured into their community through serving, loving, and giving to others."

The organizer said supporters wanted to surround the family with "love, prayer, and practical support" while they grieve and honor Theo's life. "There are simply no words for the pain of losing a child," the fundraiser states.

The page also asks those unable to donate financially to share the fundraiser and pray for the family. "Theo was deeply loved, and his precious life will never be forgotten," the message reads. The fundraiser set a goal of $300,000, and has so far raised more than $269,000.

Hot-Car Deaths Remain a Persistent Danger

Theo's death comes amid continued warnings about the dangers children face when left inside vehicles. In a July 2026 report about another child who died after being found in a locked vehicle, Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning Spokesperson Reg Griffin called such tragedies a heartbreaking reminder for parents and caregivers to repeatedly check their vehicles before leaving and locking them.

At the time of that report, National Safety Council data showed 17 pediatric hot-car deaths in the United States in 2026.

"The bottom line is they have lost a child, and it could've been prevented," Griffin said in the July report. "It's always sad when you realize that with just some safeguards and a change in routine, that you [sic] can prevent something like this. Usually what you see in a case like this is they're distracted, might be something going on at home, something going on at work."

Reg also stressed that cooler outdoor conditions can create a false sense of security. "Even that early in the morning because you may forget it might be cooler in the morning and then you think it'll be OK. The heat inside a car is so much hotter than the outside temperature," he warned further.

Experts Urge Parents to Create Extra Reminders

Following Theo's death, Cass Herring of Safe Kids Worldwide also emphasized that parents can use reminders and technology to reduce the chance of a child being inadvertently left behind. "There's a lot of technology that's built into vehicles as well as car seats. There are sensors, there are apps," Cass said.

She explained that a child's body can heat up three to five times faster than an adult's, making additional safeguards particularly important.

"Children also often fall asleep in the car and so just having that extra step, that extra reminder, is very helpful," she added.

For the Sabo family, however, those warnings come after an irreversible loss. What began with the family returning from a child's baptism ended with five-year-old Theo being rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead, while his parents entered a legal process that is still unfolding.

As investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding his death, the conflicting accounts from Mihail and his 14-year-old son about whether the teen was ever told to remove Theo from the vehicle remain a crucial unresolved detail in the case.