A mum will not fight charges after her one-year-old son died in a hot car as she got lip filler at a spa.
Amillio Gutierrez, one, was found foaming at the mouth in the vehicle outside the Always Beautiful Med Spa in Bakersfield, California.
His mother, Maya Hernandez, is likely to get 15 years in prison after leaving him and his two-year-old brother in her Toyota Corolla for at least two and a half hours while she went get the cosmetic surgery.
Hernandez claims she left the car’s engine on and the air conditioning running in the vehicle.
But police believe the car shut off automatically an hour later sometime around 3pm to save fuel as outside temperatures reached around 101 degrees farenheit.
Police documents show that the internal temperature of the car could have climbed above 60 °C (140 degrees) with the boys trapped in seat belts.
The prosecution and defense teams agreed on Hernandez’s no-contest plea in exchange for dropping a murder charge.
A nurse at the spa said Hernandez previously asked if she could bring her children with her to the appointment.
She said this was fine if she was okay with them being in the waiting room, but Hernandez did not tell her they were in the car when she arrived.
Amillio’s body registered 107°F (41.7 °C), far above the normal 99°F (37 °C).
His brother’s temperature was normal as older toddlers can sometimes regulate heat slightly better, but they’re still extremely vulnerable in hot cars.
In a heartbreaking post on GoFundMe, Amillio’s grandmother Katie Martinez said: ‘He just started walking on Thursday, and on Sunday he gained his angel wings. I will never be the same without him.
‘Amillio was so special; he always had a smile no matter what. He is loved by so many, our lives will not be the same. His brother will forever be without his best friend.’
A vigil was held at Zalud Park in Porterville where the family is from on Saturday and the fundraiser to bring his body home has raised $229.
Hernandez has now been charged with involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty, and is set to appear in court on Friday. If found guilty she faces up to four years in prison.
Amillio’s father, who is currently in prison on unrelated charges, was informed of his son’s death by a jail chaplain.
Hernandez, 20, of Visalia, is expected to be sentenced to 15 years in prison at a March 5 hearing in Kern County Superior Court in Bakersfield.
Nearly 40 children die in hot cars in the US every year – most are under the age of three.
Experts warn that even on a mild day, a car can become fatally hot in minutes.
If it is 95°F (35°C), within 10 minutes it can reach 114.8°F (46°C). After half an hour, it is 129°F (54°C).
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