Bakersfield, California – A one-year-old boy died after being left in a hot car for over two hours while his mother allegedly went to a medical spa for a cosmetic lip injection appointment.
Police say 20-year-old Maya Hernandez left her sons, 1-year-old Amillo Gutierrez and his 2-year-old brother, strapped in their car seats inside her Toyota Corolla outside Always Beautiful Med Spa on June 29.
Authorities believe the children were left unattended for at least two and a half hours. Emergency responders arrived around 4:30 p.m. after receiving a report of an unresponsive child. Despite efforts to revive him, Amillo was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. His brother survived and is now in protective custody.
Hernandez told police she left the car running with the air conditioning on around 2 p.m., but investigators say the vehicle’s engine automatically shut off after about an hour. Outside temperatures in Bakersfield that day reached 101°F (38°C). Amillo’s body temperature was recorded at 107°F (41°C).
A nurse at the med spa reportedly told media that Hernandez had asked if her children could accompany her but ultimately did not mention that they remained in the vehicle.
Hernandez has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty and is scheduled to appear in court on July 11.
A GoFundMe organized by Amillo’s grandmother, Katie Martinez, is raising funds to bring the child’s body home to Porterville for a memorial service.
“Amillio was so special; he always had a smile,” Martinez wrote. “Our lives will never be the same. His brother lost his best friend.”
A vigil was held for Amillo on Saturday in Zalud Park, and the fundraiser had reached just over $400 at the time of reporting. His father, who is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges, was notified of his son’s death by a prison chaplain.
