In Southern California, a tragedy unfolded as a 3-year-old girl was discovered unconscious inside a hot car with her mother during a scorching heat wave featuring triple-digit temperatures, according to police reports on Monday. The young child was found last Friday and despite efforts to revive her, she was tragically pronounced dead. The preliminary cause of death is believed to be complications from heat stroke, with an official autopsy report pending. Shockingly, police found several empty alcohol bottles inside the vehicle, and the mother was arrested. It was later revealed that the mother’s blood alcohol content was almost four times the legal driving limit in the state.
Charges of felony involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse causing great bodily harm have been brought against the mother, identified as Sandra Hernandez-Cazares, aged 42. If convicted, she could face a maximum sentence of 12 years for both charges. The Orange County Public Defender’s Office has not yet provided a statement on the matter.
The tragic incident came to light when family members began searching for Hernandez-Cazares after her 5-year-old son was not picked up from elementary school, as per prosecutors. Relatives made a grim discovery when they found the mother and daughter inside a locked Ford Expedition parked in front of their Anaheim apartment. Emergency services were called to the scene, where it was reported that the outside temperature was a scorching 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
Medical professionals suspect that the young girl had passed away hours before being found. The child has been identified as Ily Ruiz by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. A relative of the family, Nancy Salamanca, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to assist the girl’s father, Juan Ruiz, with funeral expenses. Salamanca shared with KABC-TV, “He’s broken, you know, Ily was his princess, his daughter, he loves his kids, that’s what he lives for.”
Tragedy has previously struck the family as Hernandez-Cazares and Juan Ruiz lost their 5-year-old and 9-year-old sons in 2012 due to a drunk driver accident during a family trip in South Dakota. The couple had actively advocated for stronger DUI penalties in the aftermath.
Children are particularly vulnerable to heatstroke, with their body temperature rising three to five times faster than adults, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Heatstroke can onset when a child’s temperature hits around 104 degrees. Shockingly, last year alone, the agency reported 29 child deaths from heatstroke in vehicles.
