A portion of the investigation into the death of two Dare County toddlers has been transferred to the Currituck County Department of Social Services.

Two year old Amariyah and 19 month old Kassandra Daniels died this weekend after deputies say they trapped themselves inside a hot car.

No charges have been filed against the children's parents. Authorities are calling it a tragic accident.

Dare County DSS officials say they transferred a portion of the investigation due to a conflict of interest.

The funeral for the toddlers is set for Wednesday at 2PM at Free Grace Disciples of Christ Church on North Raleigh Street in Manteo.

Monday's Update

Toys remain scattered in the front yard of a trailer off Ira Waterfield road in Manns Harbor, some of them belonging to 2 year-old Amariyah and 19 month-old Kassandra Daniels. The two little girls died this weekend after Dare County authorities say they got trapped inside a neighbors car where temperatures reached 135 degrees.

Sheriff Rodney Midget say their mother was taking a nap. "She closed a latch on the inside of the door to keep the children from going out, somehow once she was asleep, taking a nap, the children apparently got up and wandered outside."

Shawn Daniels is the children's father. He didn't live with his kids or their mother. In fact, a court order currently bars him from any contact. But that doesn't mean he doesn't want answers. "I just don't see how kids that young are left unattended. "I feel very wronged and anyone that's done anything unjust, I'd just like to see them held accountable."

Daniels said he and the children's mother, Amy Cooper, have lost custody in the past. Daniels said they were charged with neglect because of drugs in the household.

Daniels says he'll continue to look for answers. "I'm going to have to do what I gotta do to make sure my girls didn't die in vain."

Update

Dare County Authorities say two young sisters who died after they were found in a hot vehicle apparently climbed into the car but were unable to get themselves out.

A paternal relative of the children tells WITN, that 2 year old Amariyah Daniels and her 18 month old sister, Kassandra, were outside with their four-year-old brother when they disappeared.

Authorities say their mother, Amy Cooper, could not find them and called police.

A deputy discovered the children about 30 minutes later in the back seat of a neighbor's vehicle near their home in Manns Harbor.

Sheriff Rodney Midgett says the mother told investigators she and the three children went to sleep together. The mother told deputies that the children must have awakened and wandered outside the mobile home.

Tonight at six, WITN's Ken Heineck speaks with the father of the dead children, as well as the Dare County D.S.S. about past problems within that home.

Original Story

Authorities say a 2-year-old girl and her 18-month old sister have been found dead in a car after they wandered away from home.

Dare County deputies say the girls were reported missing Friday afternoon and found 30 minutes later inside a neighbor's car.

The younger girl was pronounced dead a short time later, while her sister died early Saturday morning.

They have not been identified.

Sgt. Terry Ballance told The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va., that the girls were playing outside with their older brother when they disappeared.

Temperatures in the area were around 90 degrees at the time.

A man answering the phone at the Dare County Sheriff's Office on Saturday refused to give any details or take a message for anyone
at the agency.

PREVIOUS STORY:
One child is dead and another critically injured in Dare County after they turned up missing this afternoon.

The Dare County sheriff's office says the 2-year-old and an 18-month-old disappeared today shortly before 3:00 p.m. in Manns Harbor.

After a short search, deputies say they found the two children in an old vehicle very near their home. The temperature in the vehicle was very hot and both children were unresponsive.

Authorities say the 18-month-old later died after being rushed to the hospital. The other child is a Kings Daughters Hospital in Norfolk.

Deputies say it appears the two children and their older brother were playing outside and they became trapped in the vehicle. Dare County says it's being investigated as a tragic accident.