Bad Frankenhausen (dpa/th) - The police are investigating because a 33-year-old mother is said to have left her two seven-month-old and two-year-old children alone in a heated car in Bad Frankenhausen (Kyffhäuserkreis). The police said on Thursday that it was about the suspicion of mistreatment of children who had been ordered to protect them. Passers-by discovered the crying children in a car in front of a shop. According to the police, the car was in the blazing sun on Wednesday afternoon and was therefore extremely heated. The two children were dehydrated, they were taken out of the car and given a medical examination. Cooling off and fresh drinks would have been enough to avert damage, police said. The youth welfare office was also informed.