- A California mother is facing serious charges after allegedly locking her two toddlers in a sweltering car for over two hours while treating herself to lip fillers at a local spa. “Strapped” into their car seats, the baby brothers were completely helpless in the extreme heat that claimed the life of 1-year-old Amillio.
On June 29 in Bakersfield, California, the sun was blazing as recorded temperatures soared to 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
But no one imagined the heat would become deadly for 1-year-old Amillio Gutierrez, who was “strapped” in his seat and “locked” in the scorching hot car – about 143 degrees – with his 2-year-old brother, while their mother, Maya Hernandez, pampered herself at the Always Beautiful Medica Spa.
Spa visit
According to 23ABC News, a police report detailed that before arriving to her appointment, Hernandez asked spa staff if her children were allowed inside. The technician told her, “Sure if you don’t mind them waiting in the waiting room hun.”
But the mother but made no mention of her two boys when she actually arrived to have her lips filled – a procedure that allegedly lasted between 15 and 20 minutes.
The kids, however, were left in the car for at least two hours, 23ABC reports, and Hernandez did not check on her kids even once.
Until two and a half hours later, KGET claims.
Seizing and foaming at the mouth
Police documents reveal that Hernandez left the 2022 Toyota Corolla hybrid running with the air conditioning set to 60 degrees, but authorities later discovered the car had an automatic shutoff feature that disabled the engine after one hour.
About 4:30 p.m., the mother finally returned to her vehicle and found her baby having a seizure, foaming at the mouth and shaking, KGET writes.
One of the spa’s customers rushed the 2-year-old to the restroom, gently pouring water over his sweat-drenched body in a desperate attempt to cool him down and bring him relief.
“In a normal person, it’s not gonna happen,” said Gricelda Anaya, who watched the tragic event unfold from her workplace next door. “What we see on the camera is that they’re trying to put cold water right here on the reception, and it was something very sad that never had to happen.”
Extreme body temperatures
By the time help arrived, the car was like a sauna and the two boys were rushed to the hospital where Amillio, whose body temperature had soared to 107 degrees, tragically died.
