PORTERVILLE, CA - A mother has been arrested for her connection to the death of her one-year-old son after he died while being left in a hot car while she allegedly went to a cosmetic appointment.
Bakersfield police said that 20-year-old Maya Hernandez left her two young sons, Amillio and his two-year-old brother, strapped in their car seats outside of a medspa on June 29th, according to Live5 News.
The toddler survived the heat, but Amillio did not after being hospitalized with a body temperature of 107 degrees.
The arrest report states that Hernandez told police she left the car running with the air conditioning on, but investigators said they found the vehicle warm when they got on scene and later learned that it had an automatic shut-off feature that turns the engine off after an hour.
Authorities said the little boy was left inside the hot car for at least an hour and a half on that hot June day.
The treatment Hernandez received allegedly only took 15 to 20 minutes, but the children were left in the hot car for far longer, People Magazine reported.
Family members are now coming together to remember the one-year-old. Katie Martinez, Amillio's grandmother, organized a vigil and candlelight ceremony to honor his memory.
She said it is a tragedy she'll never forget. "I have been tortured by the thought that they were in there alone. And that when they were found, the ambulance and paramedics just snatched them up and started working on them," she said.
"It was just a horrible experience."
Martinez said she held the vigil not only to remember her grandson but to share the story of what happened to spark change. "He had his whole life ahead of him," relative Isaac Tamez said.
"Just don't leave the kids in the car." Amillio's aunt, Makayla Kirkland, said she is holding onto the last special moment she shared with Amillio.
"I got to walk around with him, just him alone, and put him in the stroller," Kirkland said.
"I got at least that last moment before dropping him off at home ... never knowing this would happen."
Prior to her appointment, Hernandez messaged spa personnel asking if she could bring her children inside, receiving a response, "Sure, if you don't mind them waiting in the waiting room hun," according to the arrest report.
Court documents show that Hernandez allegedly had a run-in with Child Protective Services in March 2024 for emotional abuse, but it was deemed unfounded.
Hernandez has been arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty.
She is being held on more than a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, July 11th for a preliminary hearing.
Bakersfield police said that 20-year-old Maya Hernandez left her two young sons, Amillio and his two-year-old brother, strapped in their car seats outside of a medspa on June 29th, according to Live5 News.
The toddler survived the heat, but Amillio did not after being hospitalized with a body temperature of 107 degrees.
The arrest report states that Hernandez told police she left the car running with the air conditioning on, but investigators said they found the vehicle warm when they got on scene and later learned that it had an automatic shut-off feature that turns the engine off after an hour.
Authorities said the little boy was left inside the hot car for at least an hour and a half on that hot June day.
The treatment Hernandez received allegedly only took 15 to 20 minutes, but the children were left in the hot car for far longer, People Magazine reported.
Family members are now coming together to remember the one-year-old. Katie Martinez, Amillio's grandmother, organized a vigil and candlelight ceremony to honor his memory.
She said it is a tragedy she'll never forget. "I have been tortured by the thought that they were in there alone. And that when they were found, the ambulance and paramedics just snatched them up and started working on them," she said.
"It was just a horrible experience."
Martinez said she held the vigil not only to remember her grandson but to share the story of what happened to spark change. "He had his whole life ahead of him," relative Isaac Tamez said.
"Just don't leave the kids in the car." Amillio's aunt, Makayla Kirkland, said she is holding onto the last special moment she shared with Amillio.
"I got to walk around with him, just him alone, and put him in the stroller," Kirkland said.
"I got at least that last moment before dropping him off at home ... never knowing this would happen."
Prior to her appointment, Hernandez messaged spa personnel asking if she could bring her children inside, receiving a response, "Sure, if you don't mind them waiting in the waiting room hun," according to the arrest report.
Court documents show that Hernandez allegedly had a run-in with Child Protective Services in March 2024 for emotional abuse, but it was deemed unfounded.
Hernandez has been arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty.
She is being held on more than a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, July 11th for a preliminary hearing.
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Comments
2025-07-12T17:09-0400 | Comment by: Richard
Call it, "Bonfire of the Vanities"!
2025-07-12T17:20-0400 | Comment by: Lanette
As a mother, I can't imagine doing this. I don't care that she left the car running, no one would ever leave a 2 year old and an infant STRAPPED in their car seat for and hour and a half! When our son was in a car seat and we traveled any kind of long distance, we stopped all the time to get him out and let him run around a do things. The car seats are quite restrictive for a reason, to keep your child safe in a car accident. So leaving them in one for a long amount of time and then leaving them alone and then leaving them in a car alone and then it was HOT out! IF there was any justice the Mother would to be strapped down in a restrictive seat in a hot car for a couple of hours!
2025-07-13T17:37-0400 | Comment by: Paul
Held the vigil in hopes to spark change? Every year we go thru this not only with kids but, with pets-EVERY YEAR! Proof that not everyone deserves either.