Deadly ‘lesson’

Cops: Ma on purpose left 2 in hot car

A twisted Texas mom left her two kids to die inside a sweltering car — just to teach them a lesson, authorities said.

Cynthia Marie Randolph (inset), 24, was busted Friday and charged with two firstdegree felony counts of causing injury to a child, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported.

Randolph’s 2-year-old daughter, Juliet, and 1year-old son, Cavanaugh, were found dead in a locked car in the driveway of her home outside of Fort Worth on May 26, police said.

The kids were left in the car as temperatures soared to an oppressive 96 degrees, the station re- ported.

Randolph initially told authorities she tried in vain to save the children, according to documents released Friday by the Parker County Sheriff ’s Department.

Randolph told authorities she was folding laundry inside her house and thought the kids were happily playing outside, only to discover the toddlers nearly a half hour later locked inside the car, along with her keys and cellphone, the outlet reported.

She then told officers she had to break a window to rescue the kids before calling 911, authorities said. But cops said Randolph later admitted she locked the children inside the car on purpose.

“When they refused to leave the car, the defendant said she shut the door to teach Juliet a lesson, thinking she could get herself and her brother out of the car when ready,” authorities said in the probable cause affidavit.

“When she woke, the defendant found her children in her vehicle, unresponsive,” authorities added. “The defendant said that she broke the car window to make it look like an accident.”

The Texas mom also admitted she smoked marijuana and fell asleep for several hours, according to reports.

San Jose State University professor Jan Null, who works with the National Safety Council, said 13 children have died this year from heat strokes after being left in hot cars, the station reported.