Mom Leaves Daughter Unconscious in Hot Car, Faces Charges

(ProsperNews.net) – A California woman was found locked inside a hot car with her 3-year-old daughter, who tragically died later, Anaheim police confirmed. The incident occurred last Friday when police were called to a medical emergency around 4:20 p.m. after a family member discovered 41-year-old Sandra Hernandez and her daughter inside a Ford Expedition. It’s unclear how long they had been trapped in the vehicle, but temperatures soared to 104 degrees that day.

Paramedics rushed the young girl to a hospital, but she later died from complications of heat stroke, according to police. An autopsy has yet to be completed. Inside the vehicle, officers found several bottles of alcohol. Hernandez was also taken to the hospital for treatment and was later booked on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and child neglect after being released, Anaheim police Sgt. Matt Sutter reported.

The tragedy has left the family devastated, especially the girl’s father, Juan Ruiz. A GoFundMe page has been established to raise funds for Ruiz and his son during this difficult time. Ruiz has endured unimaginable loss before. In 2012, he lost two sons when a drunk driver crashed into their tent during a camping trip. Nancy Salamanca, Ruiz’s cousin, expressed the family’s heartbreak: “He’s broken. He’s just devastated. To know that he’s reliving this all over again, we’re just hurting for him.”

The incident occurred during a historic heatwave in Southern California, where temperatures have reached dangerous levels. Police have yet to determine how long Hernandez and her daughter were in the vehicle before they were found. Authorities are continuing their investigation as the family and community grieve the loss of the young girl.

A news segment from KABC-TV showed footage of the girl before the incident, making the tragedy even harder for the community to process. The circumstances surrounding the event are particularly troubling, given the extreme heat and the presence of alcohol in the vehicle. The case serves as a tragic reminder of the dangers of hot cars and the devastating consequences that can arise from even brief exposure to such high temperatures.