BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Scripps News Group) — A California mother is facing felony charges after she allegedly left her two children in a hot car for hours, resulting in the death of her one-year-old son.
Maya Hernandez, 20, pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child cruelty on July 1.
According to Bakersfield Police, officers responded on June 29 after learning two children were left inside a vehicle for two hours while their mother was at a medical spa.
Maya Hernandez, accused of leaving her children in a hot car, resulting in the death of one, appears in court July 1, 2025. (Court TV)
One-year-old Amillio Gutierrez was pronounced dead at a local hospital with an internal temperature of 107 degrees. The two-year-old, who had an internal temperature of 99 degrees, survived and was placed in protective custody. Relaying the news to Hernandez, documents say her response was admitting to knowing it was irresponsible and thought of it prior to leaving the car, but made the decision to leave them inside and not being able to justify it.
According to a police report obtained by Scripps News Bakersfield, prior to arriving at 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.”
The report states Hernandez left her kids in the car while it was running with the AC set to 60 degrees. Documents say Hernandez’s procedure only took 15 to 20 minutes, but the children were left in the car for almost two hours. It states that at no point did Hernandez come out to check on her kids.
Even though Hernandez claimed to have left the children in the car with the air conditioning on, the car’s manufacturer says that the car automatically turns off after an hour of inactivity.
Hernandez is due back in court July 11.
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