VAN ZANDT COUNTY, TX — Two individuals were arrested Monday, July 28th, after a vehicle pursuit ended at the Wagon Train RV Park off the I-20 South Service Road, where deputies discovered two children in distress, including one suffering from extreme heat exposure.
Deputies with the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist Texas DPS troopers after a pursuit ended with an abandoned vehicle at the RV park. Inside the vehicle, authorities located a juvenile with a bleeding nose and signs of heat-related illness.
The driver, identified as Nicholas Ryan Deel, was found in an RV on the property. Deputies say Deel refused to allow law enforcement to check on his 9-month-old child, who he admitted was alone inside the RV. Deel also declined to provide contact information for the child’s mother.
After Deel was arrested, deputies entered the RV and found the infant alone in a playpen, partially covered by a bedsheet that restricted airflow. The child had a soiled diaper, several empty bottles nearby, and was extremely hot to the touch. Medical personnel responded to assess the child’s condition.
The child’s mother, Susana Aurora Frisbie, later arrived at the scene and admitted to deputies that both she and Deel had knowingly left the infant alone in the RV earlier that day while Deel took her to work.
Both children were taken to a hospital for evaluation and later placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.
As a result of the investigation:
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Nicholas Ryan Deel was charged with:
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Two counts of Abandoning or Endangering a Child (Felony 2)
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Fleeing from Police
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Tampering with Physical Evidence with Intent to Cause Harm
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He is also wanted on an out-of-state warrant for Aggravated Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury.
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Bond for the local charges was set at $120,000, and no bond has been set for the out-of-state charge.
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Susana Aurora Frisbie, also of Texas, was charged with:
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One count of Abandoning or Endangering a Child (Felony 2)
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Her bond was set at $50,000.
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The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services are continuing their investigation.
