Toddler Dies After Being Found Unconscious In A Hot Car Alongside Her Mother, Charges Filed

Photo byIly Elizabeth Ruiz/GoFundMe

A California mother, Sandra Hernandez, 41, faces involuntary manslaughter and child neglect charges after her 3-year-old daughter died in a hot car.

On September 6, People Magazine reported that police responded to a medical emergency in Anaheim. A family member found Hernandez and her daughter unconscious in a locked car on a 104-degree day. The child, identified as Ily Ruiz, was rushed to the hospital but didn't survive.

Police suspect heat stroke as the cause of death, pending an autopsy. They found empty alcohol containers in the car and noted the mother-daughter had been locked inside for an unknown time.

LA Times reports that Hernandez was treated, interviewed, and then booked into custody.

Family members remember Ily as a "beautiful and innocent soul" with a "loving and bubbly personality." Her father, Juan, is devastated by the loss of his "princess."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the family during this difficult time.

"It's still hard to wrap our minds around the thought ILY is no longer with us," the GoFundMe post read. "She has been tragically taken from our family in such an unfathomable way, and all we want to do is ease the burden and pain her father, Juan, and the family are going through at this time."

The National Safety Council reports 31 child hot car deaths in the U.S. so far in 2024, up from 29 in the previous year.

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