Dog dies after being left in hot car in Virginia Beach, owner charged

** Correction: WAVY initially reported that the surviving dog went home with Mendoza. The surviving animal went home with its owner, not Mendoza.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — One dog died and another survived after they were left in a hot car Wednesday afternoon, Virginia Beach Police confirmed.

The owner of the dog that died, Olga Mendoza, has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, police say.

The dogs were found around 1 p.m. on Wednesday in the 1100 block of Nimmo Parkway, near Upton Drive. The temperature outside at the time was 85 degrees with a heat index of 90 degrees.

Police described Mendoza as the custodian of the surviving dog. She was not that dog’s owner. The surviving animal was released to its owner.

The case remains under investigation.