One California community is devastated by the tragic loss of a 1-year-old boy, who is said to have been left in a hot vehicle by his mother as she went to have a cosmetic procedure.
According to authorities, Maya Hernandez, 20, left her two little boys, aged 1 found Amillio Gutierrez, and his 2-year-old brother strapped in their car seats on June 29, as she visited a med spa in Bakersfield. It was very unfortunate because Amillio did not make it through the scorching weather.
Court documents at hand claim Hernandez left her children in her 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid for close to two hours, despite her cosmetic procedure having been done in 15-20 minutes.
On that day, the outside temperatures were soaring and when the boys had been found, the internal temperature of the car had reached very high levels.
The hospital rushed to Amillio with a recorded body temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The toddler passed away despite emergency care. His elder brother survived by a miracle and the police confirmed that his body temperature had increased to 99 degrees.
Affected family members are devastated. Katie Martinez, the grandma of the boys, addressed the press with soppy words:
They were buckled in their car seats. They were not even able to rise to their own rescue. She literally fastened them in their car seats and closed the door.”
Police, reportedly stated that the air conditioning of the car was set at 60 degrees, but there was no indication whether it was operating within the two hours timeframe.
Law enforcers are also viewing the surveillance videos and the correspondence between Hernandez and the med spa employees.
In one message, Hernandez allegedly requested whether she could take her kids inside. A spa worker answered:
Hun, sure, I don t mind them waitin in the waitin room.
That easy answer would be the aftermath of this tragedy.
Other guests at the spa have recalled seeing employees trying frantically to cool the children after they knew what had happened. Gricelda Anaya, a neighbor of the spa said:
What is shown in the camera is that they are trying to sprinkle cold water on the baby at the reception. It was a very sad thing that need not have occurred.”
ABC7 Eyewitness News reported that Hernandez has been jailed and arraigned on charges of child cruelty and involuntary manslaughter. She is out on more than 1 million dollars bail, and is set to appear before court again on Friday 11 July, in a pre-preliminary hearing.
Hernandez has not been in the spotlight like this. According to court documents acquired by KGET, she was investigated by the Child Protective Services back in March 2024, regarding an incident of emotional abuse, but the investigation was closed as unfounded.
It is a sad story that has a pattern of being also a disturbing trend that has occurred this summer nationally as hot car deaths have increased.
There are recent police actions in Georgia who literally saved the lives of two children who were in a car outside a mall, with the help of passers-by who called 911 when they heard screams inside the hot car.
In that, the father-Jquawn Dixon was accused of two counts of child cruelty in the second degree. He is alleged to have left the children behind in the car and walked away leaving them alone 41 min on a day the temperature outside was rising to 87 degrees. Heat in the car was as high as 117 degrees.
Such tragic incidents are causing alarming appeals to awareness and prevention.
Child safety advocates encourage parents and caregivers to remember that only a few minutes in a hot vehicle can become fatal to young children, which have bodies that warm up three-five times quicker in comparison to adults.
Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit organization, suggest that the average number of children dying in hot cars in the United States per year is 38.
The founder of the organization, Janette Fennell, underlined:
These deaths are absolutely avoidable. Leaving your child unattended in a vehicle, whether it is a brief moment or not, is the most effective form of protection.”
To commemorate the death of Amillio and other kids killed in a similar situation, societies are encouraging caregivers to embrace safe practices, such as:
Put something personal (such as phone or purse) in the back seat so that the person remembers to check before getting out.
Come up with audible or visual marks when driving with children.
Think twice before you leave the back seat even at the time you consider that the children are not there.
Amillio was killed but until now, the police are still investigating his case and the family hopes that the story of his death will be the lesson of no other parent or family member will be able to repeat the same mistake.
Katie Martinez said, I do not want any other child to experience what my grandson did. No cosmetic measure is worth the life of a baby.
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