A California woman, Maya Hernandez, 20, is facing manslaughter charges after her 1-year-old son, Amillio, tragically died while she left him and his 2-year-old brother in a hot car outside a medical spa in Bakersfield, California.
Hernandez is also facing willful cruelty to a child charges in connection with the incident that occurred on June 29, 2025.
Details of the Incident
According to police reports, Hernandez arrived at the medical spa for a lip-filler procedure with her two young children. She had contacted the facility earlier that morning to ask if she could bring her children inside. The spa staff reportedly told her that they would be fine in the waiting room.
However, Hernandez left her children in the car instead, with the air conditioning off, despite the triple-digit temperatures that day.
The procedure itself lasted only 15-20 minutes, but the staff indicated that Hernandez was in the spa for approximately two and a half hours. During this time, she did not check on her children.
Children Left in the Hot Car
The temperature that day was reported to be around 101°F. Hernandez’s car, a 2022 Toyota Corolla hybrid, has an engine that automatically shuts off after about an hour. The children were in the car for about 90 minutes without air conditioning.
By the time Hernandez returned to the car at 4:30 p.m., she found Amillio unresponsive, foaming at the mouth, and having a seizure. Employees of the medical spa rushed to assist, taking the children inside and attempting to cool them down with water.
Emergency responders arrived shortly after, but tragically, Amillio was pronounced dead at 5:48 p.m. at the hospital. His body temperature was recorded at 107°F.
The 2-year-old boy, who survived, was hospitalized and later placed into child protective custody.
Mother’s Admission of Irresponsibility
In an interview with police, Hernandez admitted that she knew it was irresponsible to leave her children in the car. She acknowledged thinking about it when she got out of the car but had no justification for her actions.
Hernandez told police she thought the children would be okay since she had left the air conditioning on. However, it was clear the vehicle was no longer cooling when the children were found.
Charges and Legal Proceedings
Hernandez has been charged with one count of manslaughter and two counts of willful cruelty to a child. She remains in custody at the Kern County Jail with a $1 million bail. Hernandez is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 14, 2025.
Family Impact and GoFundMe Appeal
The boys’ father is currently incarcerated, and he was informed of his son’s death by a jail chaplain. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the children’s family during this tragic time.
