A young mother has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after leaving her two small children in a parked car for hours while she went inside a medical spa for a cosmetic procedure.
Authorities say 1-year-old Amilio Gutierrez and 2-year-old Mateo Gutierrez were left inside the vehicle while their mother, 20-year-old Maya Hernandez, went into the appointment.
Hernandez testified that she believed leaving the car running with the air conditioning on would keep the children safe, but investigators said the vehicle automatically shut off after about an hour.
Temperatures inside the vehicle quickly became deadly. Police reported that Amilio’s body temperature rose above 107 degrees, and the toddler later died from heat exposure.
At the time of the incident, the children’s father was already in custody, leaving the children solely in Hernandez’s care.
The tragic case has sparked renewed warnings from authorities about the dangers of leaving children in vehicles, even for a short period of time.
