WEATHERFORD, Texas -- Two toddlers were found dead in a hot car in a rural North Texas neighborhood.

A Parker County Sheriff's Office statement says the 2-year-old girl and 16-month-old boy were found about 4:30 p.m. Friday by their mother in a subdivision near Lake Weatherford. The statement says temperatures at the time were about 96 degrees.

The mother, whom deputies did not identify, told investigators that her children "took off" and she was searching for them when she found them locked in the vehicle. The mother broke a window to get into the vehicle and found both children unresponsive.

Emergency medical personnel were immediately contacted. Both children were pronounced deceased at 4:33 p.m. from suspected extreme heat exposure, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth reports.

Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox

Sheriff Larry Fowler says the case is in the early stages of investigation and no assumptions are being made.