If it wasn't for the sloppiness of the police, the boys would be alive.
Yes, the parents are also at fault.
But once the police show up and start searching, they kind of take over responsibility.
Example..........
Police: "We need all the parents in the next room for questioning."
Parents: "No, I am going out to search the yard for the kids."
Police: "We already searched the yard. We need you in the other room for questioning. And we need you there now."
But for the parents' negligence, they never would have been in trunk in the first place. And I can see how the police, having been told the parents had searches for hours before calling them, could jump to the conclusion the kids were no longer in the immediate area.
I am not trying to absolve the police of fault entirely here. This tragedy is big enough to share lots of blame and I have no idea why someobody did not think to pop that trunk. But I still think you have to look at the parents in the first instance and I still wonder how long they were in that trunk before anyone started looking.