ST. LOUIS, 9:56 a.m. EDT August 13, 2001 -- Two toddlers died and a third was hospitalized Sunday after playing inside an abandoned car where temperatures climbed to 114 degrees, police said.

Police were questioning the children's parents to determine how long the children were in the car and why they were unsupervised by adults, police spokeswoman Adella Jones said.

Although temperatures outside the car were in the 80s when the children were found, they were much higher in the car, police said.

The children who died were Markeisha Jackson, who would have turned 2 later this month, and her cousin Mark Wagner Jr., who would have turned 2 next month. Markeisha's 2-year-old brother, Marcus Jackson Jr., was in critical condition Sunday night.

The vehicle, which had expired temporary license plates, had been parked in the neighborhood for several weeks and was last registered to someone in Centreville, Ill., Jones said.