Family of 3-year-old boy who died in hot day care bus sues facility

Raymond Pryer Jr. Raymond Pryer Jr. Photo: Courtesy Of The Pryer Family Photo: Courtesy Of The Pryer Family Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Family of 3-year-old boy who died in hot day care bus sues facility 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

The parents of Raymond Pryer Jr. alleged that staff at a Houston day care facility were "grossly negligent" when they left their 3-year-old boy in a sweltering school van following a field trip last month, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday morning in Harris County District Court.

RELATED: Police, prosecutors to review death of 3-year-old in van for possible charges

The father, Raymond Pryer and mother, Dikeisha Whitlock-Pryer, said in a news conference Tuesday morning that their child's death on July 19 left them "destroyed." They're hoping the lawsuit sends a message to all daycares to follow safety procedures, and in some cases implement additional measures that prevent children from being forgotten in hot vehicles.

The family is also asking for more than $1 million in monetary relief, but their attorney said no amount of money could make up for their anguish.

"I feel like a whole part of my insides is missing," Raymond Pryer said during the news conference.

The family has since created a website for their son to draw attention to vehicular heat tragedies.

Around the time of the toddler's death, investigators and first responders said a chaperone and the driver, both daycare employees, left the boy in the bus for more than four hours after returning from a field trip at a local park with nearly 30 children.

The boy was discovered after his father came to the daycare center to pick him up, and a search determined he had been left in the van where temperatures were recorded as high as 113 degrees.

Houston police said they are still investigating the situation, and no criminal charges have been filed. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is also continuing its investigation into the death, spokeswoman Tejal Patel said.

Discovering Me, located in the 8000 block of Antoine Drive, remained closed on Tuesday afternoon. Wilson said he didn't know whether the daycare or its owner and director, Tanisha Butler, have retained an attorney.

Discovering Me was cited in 2015 for failing to install safety alarms on the buses to prevent such tragedies, according to state records. They corrected that oversight within a month, but authorities have not elaborated on the safety measures in the bus where Raymond died, citing the ongoing investigation.

The family's attorney, Larry Wilson, said the boy's death could have been prevented if the daycare followed its own procedures.

"You take your children to a daycare in the morning, and you expect that people at the daycare will be looking out for your children," Wilson said. "That's all this family wanted."

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com